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DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Uniteam’s break-up was not the first time the Dutertes bid farewell to a political friendship forged by years of alliance.
It may have been nearly two decades ago, but former lawmaker Ruy Elias Lopez still remembers the day he severed ties with former president Rodrigo Duterte after realizing the latter’s plan: take full control of Davao City by building the Duterte dynasty.
The year was 2006 and Duterte was gunning for his third and last term as mayor at the time. The then-city chief picked his lawyer-daughter Sara, who had no prior experience in politics, as running mate. It made sense since Duterte was on his final term, Sara could take over the mayoralty post in the next polls, and then the Duterte dynasty would live on.
Rodrigo Duterte was Ruy’s friend, but the then-lawmaker did not approve of the plan. He strongly opposed it, he said.
“I told him (Duterte)… All powers of government, there are checks and balances because it cannot be only in one person. In the local government, the checks and balances [are] the executive, the mayor, and the legislative,” Ruy recalled. “But, if you’re the mayor, and your daughter is the vice mayor, and the vice mayor is the presiding officer of the local legislative body, whatever you wish will be followed.”
Duterte tried to reason out, explaining that Sara was deserving of the post. But Ruy made himself clear to his friend: he will support Sara if she runs in 2010 as mayor, but not as vice mayor under Duterte because of the would-be lack of checks and balances.
“Our conversation only ended when I told him, ‘Mayor, I know exactly what your intentions are in choosing Sara as your running mate.’ Then he replied, ‘Why, what do you think, Ruy?’ Then I said, ‘corruption,'” said Ruy.
That was the last time he and Duterte spoke in person. Ruy decided to take a different path. The end of his friendship with Duterte became the start of his role as oppositionist in a city that later turned into Duterte country.
“The next day, I was interviewed by the local media. And then I said, ‘Absolute power corrupts absolutely,'” Ruy told Rappler. “And then I told Digong, ‘That’s what you’ll do.’ I said I cannot go with him anymore because I cannot bring the name of my father to that kind of politics. My father’s legacy would be tarnished.”
String of oppositions
Ruy has made himself clear that he’s opposing the dynasty not because he’s courting the anti-Duterte votes in Davao City. He’s against them because of what they’re doing in the city that has become “really bad.” He said he will be against the family even after the polls — regardless of the results.
For one, the former lawmaker said he strongly opposes their city’s millions of confidential funds.
“One of the things they did, naturally, was budget for confidential funds, peace and order funds, which has no accountability. So, imagine, now it’s P500-plus million, imagine, how can a legislative body not question that? P500-plus million for what?” Ruy said.
For 2023, Davao City’s confidential funds were even higher than those of seven wealthiest cities in the country combined. The Dutertes’ home turf spent a total of P530 million in 2023, higher than 2022’s P460 million in confidential funds. Ever since Duterte became the chief executive in 2016, Davao City’s confidential spending has seen a gradual increase each year.
The former lawmaker also has strong feelings about the Duterte family’s involvement with shady figures, like preacher and alleged trafficker Apollo Quiboloy, in particular. Duterte’s long-time friend has been detained since 2024 for alleged trafficking and sexual abuse, and has been in the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most-wanted list since early 2022 for sex trafficking of children and promotional money laundering.
Like Duterte, Quiboloy and his Kingdom of Jesus Christ church is based in Davao City.
“Quiboloy, I presume, has not done that overnight, has been doing that for quite some time until it leaked out. And if you are close with him, you know that it’s happening. And why didn’t you stop [your] ally from doing that? Or veer yourself away from him?” said Ruy.
But if there’s an issue hounding Duterte that’s close to Ruy, it would be the killing allegations.
Ruy started hearing about people getting slain in Davao City when he was young, but the issue only became closer to his gut when it happened to one of his supporters. When he and the late former speaker Prospero Nograles teamed up against the Duterte tandem in 2010, one of his lead campaigners named Juliana “Juling” Noquera was killed in the middle of campaign.
The old woman was abducted in broad daylight, along with a man named Rolando Miranda in Calinan. Ruy and others tried everything to locate the two, but all the efforts were in vain — Juling’s body was later found in Davao del Sur. Self-confessed Davao Death Squad (DDS) member and whistleblower Edgar Matobato revealed in 2016 that two people, identified as Nograles’ supporters, were among those they killed under Duterte’s orders.
Ruy was a lawmaker for three full terms and held a considerable amount of influence, but what has he done to look into these killings? The former lawmaker said that after Juling’s death, he sought information about those involved in the killings, about the DDS. He went to police stations, but to no avail.
“I have no evidence on that, as a congressman, I have no evidence on that. But of course, I was against those incidents, killing criminals,” he said.
In 2025, Ruy said he will remain firm in his opposition against Duterte and stick to his critical stance on issues surrounding the dynasty — from confidential funds to killings. He is doing this because he believes in the importance of a dissenting voice.
“If there is no opposition, they’ll just do what they want. And we said they’ve been doing it for the past decades,” said Ruy.
Friendship soured by time
The ties between the Dutertes and Lopezes go all the way to their patriarchs, according to Ruy. Former governor of the still-undivided Davao province, Vicente Duterte — Rodrigo’s father — was part of the Nacionalista Party, as was Davao City’s first Bagobo mayor Elias Lopez, father of Ruy.
After Duterte finished law school and passed the Bar exams, Ruy recalled Soledad “Nanay Soling” Duterte asking his father Elias for help in giving Rodrigo a job. Being friends with the family, the late mayor then obliged and called the then-minister of justice to ask for help. Ruy said a position was created for Duterte and he became a prosecutor with the help of the Lopezes.
Ruy recalled that after Duterte’s run as vice mayor from 1986 to 1988, his old friend sought the city’s highest post during the 1988 elections and went against Cory Aquino’s appointed mayor, Zafiro Respicio. His father refused to run as mayor because of his health condition then, so he instead rallied behind Duterte.
Around the Lopezes, Ruy said Duterte was like tamed sheep — behaved and well-mannered. When Duterte became mayor and the older Lopez was serving as a lawmaker, he (Duterte) would pay a visit to the Lopezes and they would talk over food and drinks, Ruy recalled.
“Duterte, from the relationship we had before, he always, I believe, he always respected that. Because Duterte, he has the highest respect for my father,” Ruy said.
There was a time when Ruy and Rodrigo worked together in Congress, when Rodrigo won and when Ruy replaced his father in the 3rd district after the older Lopez passed away. When Duterte sought a return to city hall in 2001 and ran against his former ally, Benjamin de Guzman, Ruy said he was the only one who backed Duterte. Other local figures supported De Guzman.
This may also be the reason, according to Ruy, why Duterte wanted to keep the mayoralty post within his family: “From then, with that experience of Digong, he realized he doesn’t want the mayoralty post to go to other people. Because he also realized his popularity.”
But these years of alliance and loyalty were not enough to keep the friendship between Ruy and Rodrigo. In the end, Ruy chose his principles and to preserve the untainted legacy of his “incorruptible” late father.
Another shot at politics
After years of private law practice, Ruy sought a political comeback in 2022 when he challenged incumbent Mayor Sebastian Duterte in the mayoralty race. He lost. For 2025, he is seeking to reclaim his old post from his successor, Isidro Ungab, who defeated him in the 2010 congressional race. Then a reelectionist, Ungab garnered over 65,000 votes against Lopez’s 43,800.
Although he’s not directly facing a Duterte, it feels like it, said Ruy, because Ungab is a staunch Duterte ally. Besides, Ruy is a candidate under Marcos’ Partido Federal ng Pilipinas. He believes being a Marcos-backed bet won’t hurt his chances in the polls.
“The new man in power now, he’s Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos, [who] also has bigger powers [like] what the Dutertes [had before]. Although the Dutertes still have power and even influence…. It’s Bongbong Marcos [who’s] bigger than them,” Ruy said.
For his comeback, Ruy said he’s bringing issues that are close to his fellow Davaoeños. He’s offering programs that focus on education and livelihood. Ruy also plans to file a bill to look into the issue of “fake news” or disinformation. But if there’s legislation that Ruy seeks to back, it’s the anti-dynasty bill because of the dynasty’s obstructive effects on the country, he said.
But it’s a long shot, for sure, since dynasties are everywhere, including in Davao City, where Ruy is seeking to serve anew: “I’ll just have to convince them (the lawmakers), you know? I just have to convince them I just have to convince them, that this is not good for the country. An example that I will say to them is the Duterte family.”
In the things he does and aspires to do, Ruy always brings in his father’s legacy. As he seeks another shot at politics, the late mayor’s legacy will be his north star, he said.
“Until now, 28 years after his death, nobody has talked about my father being corrupt or abusing his position. All they remember about my father was his trying to help and develop the city. We were not involved in anything even during my time.” – with research from Andrei Rosario and Hannah Andaya/Rappler.com
Some quotes were translated into English for brevity
Andrei Rosario and Hannah Andaya are Rappler interns. Learn more about Rappler’s internship program here.
