STAYING true to his word, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Nicolas Torre appeared and won via default against Davao City acting Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte on Sunday, July 27.
Held at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Malate, Manila, the charity boxing match dubbed “Boxing for a Cause” featured only one boxer in the ring, as Duterte had earlier announced he would not be able to attend.
On Friday morning, Duterte was seen departing for Singapore with his family, despite ongoing preparations for the bout. He clarified the next day that he had other commitments to attend to.
According to Police Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo, PNP spokesperson, the event was organized in response to Duterte’s challenge.
“Aasahan niyo po na darating ang ating Chief, PNP sa Rizal Coliseum dumating o hindi man po si Mayor Baste because this opportunity will give us the chance po para makatulong sa ating mga kababayan,” Fajardo said.
Nevertheless, Torre showed up, underscoring his sincerity in taking on Duterte’s challenge, which he accepted last Thursday—and had since been training to build up his stamina only to end up with a no-show.
Torre shared that the match generated over P300,000 from ticket sales and more than P16 million in donations. He assured the public that all proceeds from the event would go directly to relief efforts for those impacted by the recent natural disasters.
