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DAVAO CITY – The much-anticipated charity boxing match between Philippine National Police chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III and acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte appears to be in limbo as the latter has remained silent about his participation since leaving for Singapore on Friday, July 25.
It seems that no boxing match will happen between the two government officials at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila on Sunday, July 27, as there is no official statement yet from Duterte or anyone from his camp regarding whether he still plans to show up for the bout.
The National Bureau of Investigation confirmed that Duterte departed for Singapore two days before his highly anticipated charity boxing match. The Bureau of Immigration said his family accompanied him on a commercial flight from Davao International Airport around 7 a.m.
Duterte was also caught on video inside a plane bound for Singapore. According to a Davao City government staff member, the acting mayor left for official business with some of his colleagues from the local government office.
Another source said the acting mayor may travel next to The Hague in the Netherlands to visit his father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been there since March for the case he is facing at the International Criminal Court.
The surprise trip raised questions, as the boxing match has significant media attention and public interest. Torre’s camp reportedly organized the event to raise funds for Metro Manila and Luzon flood victims.
The outspoken son of former President Duterte slammed Torre during his “Basta Dabawenyo” podcast last Sunday, accusing the PNP chief of being bold only because of his position and challenged him to a fist fight.
Torre responded on Wednesday, agreeing to the challenge and suggesting it be held as a charity event to support flood victims. The following days, the PNP released photos and videos of Torre doing exercises in preparation for the anticipated match.
Duterte, in another recorded video, mocked Torre once more, saying he had always wanted to hit “a monkey.” But before stepping into the ring, he laid a condition for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to mandate hair follicle drug testing for all government officials.
As images of Torre running through the rain at Camp Crame in Quezon City circulated online on Friday, Duterte was spotted arriving in Singapore, with a source noting that the acting mayor’s trip had long been planned.
