House Speaker Prospero Nograles has requited with kindness a political foe’s demolition of a public park named after his father by pushing for the enactment of his proposal to name the annex of a national high school in Davao City after the name of his political rival’s father.

The House chief authored House Bill 6435, which seeks to name Mabini National High School Annex after the father of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. This even after the mayor caused the demolition of the Erico T. Nograles Park, a national government project.

“Kahit pinukol niya ako ng bato, ginantihan ko siya ng tinapay,” Nograles said after getting word that the Senate has already approved the bill.

HB 6435, entitled “An Act separating the Mabini National High School-Governor Vicente Duterte Annex in Barangay Bangkal, Talomo District, City of Davao from the Mabini National High School,” is intended to convert the annex into an independent national high school to be known as Governor Vicente Duterte National High School and appropriating funds therefor.”

“We build and preserve the legacies of great men like the late Gov. Duterte, for their great deeds. I'm in public service to build and not to destroy,” Nograles said, holding the still unnumbered law which President Arroyo is expected to sign soon.

The proposed law, already ratified by both the Senate and the House of Representatives, would transfer all personnel, assets, liabilities and records of the Mabini National High School to be absorbed by the Gov. Vicente Duterte National High School.

To make sure that the measure is passed into law, the Speaker even made personal follow-ups among senators knowing well that local bills are largely ignored by the Senate even after Mayor Duterte ordered his men to demolish the Erico T. Nograles Park, a national government project.

“It was a clear attempt to erase in the public consciousness the memories of the great deed and service of my father. What he did, I will not emulate. I don't believe in vengeance,” Nograles said.

The Secretary of Education, Nograles said, shall immediately include, upon effectivity of the Act, in the Department's program the operationalization of the national high school, and the initial funding of which shall be charged against the current year's appropriations of the school.

Thereafter, he added, the amount necessary for the continued operation of the school shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

The proposed law, which Nograles authored, was passed by the House on June 3, 2009 and by the Senate on November 16, 2009.