Duranos spearhead rally for Duterte in Danao City

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DANAO CITY, Cebu — After receiving an endorsement from Vice President Sara Duterte, this city's Durano family is set to stage the Duterte Maisug Avance Grand Rally on Friday, May 2, in Danao City, targeting a crowd of at least 20,000 supporters.

The only local candidates openly endorsed by the vice president, the Durano political clan are spearheading the event as a show of strength for their local party and their growing political alliance and familial ties with the Duterte family of Davao City.

The event is co-organized with Hakbang ng Maisug Cebu, a grassroots group supporting former president Rodrigo Duterte and his political circle.

The vice president visited her father's hometown Danao in April to reconnect with her Cebuano roots and reaffirm political ties with the Duranos, who are also their relatives.

During her visit, she endorsed incumbent Mayor Thomas Mark Durano for Cebu 5th District representative, Vice Mayor Ramon Durano III for mayor of Danao, city councilor Ivy Durano for vice mayor of Danao, and Red Durano for mayor of Poro town in Camotes.

Nito Durano said the vice president offered not just political support, but a unifying message, saying "she was very warm and she offered a message of hope to us, her relatives, to the people of Danao and the country."

"Hope amidst the circumstances of our former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte, who is miles away from his beloved homeland," he said.

He recalled that the renewed Duterte-Durano alliance began when he met with the former president in June 2024 to set aside past political differences.

That meeting, Nito said, laid the groundwork for reconciliation between the two families and opened up a series of engagements with Duterte loyalists in Cebu, including Hakbang ng Maisug.

The alliance further deepened when the Durano family visited Davao City two weeks ago to meet with Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte.

Nito said the mayor committed his support to the Duranos' electoral campaign, also a gesture that sealed what he described as "unity between Davao City and Danao City."

Nito also said that this evolving political partnership is grounded in shared ideals and mutual support.

"This meeting was a labor of hope. We decided that the only way to move forward is reconciliation between our families separated by circumstances," he said.

Hakbang ng Maisug core member EB Jugalbot said the rally will highlight the 10 senatorial candidates officially backed by the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP), along with Senator Imee Marcos, who has received endorsements from both the vice president and the Duranos.

Jugalbot clarified that they will not endorse other national candidates during the rally, including Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar, another bet supported by the vice president.

He added they also sent out invites to local mayoralty candidates in Cebu, who are aligned to their vision to support Duterte, including dismissed Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.

Meanwhile, the group distanced when asked to comment about the preventive suspension order served against Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.