Presidential Communications Office
Presidential News Desk
SPEECH OF
PRESIDENT RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE
DURING THE 42ND PHILIPPINE BUSINESS CONFERENCE (PBC) AND EXPO CONCLUDING CEREMONY “GIANT STEPS 2016 AND BEYOND”
[Delivered at Marriott Hotel, Pasay City | 13 October 2016]
Kindly sit down. Salamat po.
Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, Secretary Ramon Lopez, members of the Diplomatic Corps, Mr. George Barcelon, Mr. Angelito Colona, Ambassador Benedicto Yujuico, Mr. Jose Ma. Concepcion, participants of the 42nd Philippine Business Conference and Expo Concluding Ceremony, my fellow workers in government, my beloved countrymen.
I do not prepare speeches. I’d rather just go ahead with the environment. But, from the judging of the crowd, apart from the campaign days, this is the biggest crowd so far that I have attended. [applause]. And what is really very pleasing is that all of you have money. [laughter]
I am not into the big league. I am just an ordinary Filipino residing somewhere in Mindanao. My city is Davao City in the midst of not so peaceful island. And we are doing our best really to make it business-friendly when we talk about money.
Mindanao holds a great promise in agriculture. The problem is it is beset with the remnants of the rebellion of the yesteryears. There’s still a great feeling of nationalism amongst the Muslim population. And there’s always the hurt over the century, the injustice committed against the Moro people.
So in terms of money and agriculture, we talked to Mindanao and we are trying our best really to come up with something.
I have talked to the communists and I would like to thank Norway. They are now in Oslo. The communist and the government panel are talking there and I would like to thank the government of Norway for its good offices in these talks.
I have talked to Murad, the leader of the MILF, one of the bigger factions in this secessionist movement. And despite the fact that the last time we were considering the BBL, Murad threatened to go to war if there is no BBL.
By the grace of God, we were able to talk to him and said that you might want to postpone the rebellion, the war because there is still enough time for us to talk about peace and so with Nur Misuari of the MNLF. Practically, this is really the picture of what is in Mindanao and the rest of the country.
I expect successful talks with the Communist Party and that is why the soldiers of the Republic are freed of the warfronts here vis-à-vis with the communists, the New People’s Army.
So I was able to move my troops to Mindanao and that resulted really in a firefight until now and also the reason why there was that blast in Davao City.
It is always tit-for-tat for them and because they are losing heavily because of the concentration of the troops that I have deployed from other areas.
Wala ng NPA. At least, there is no fighting right now. And because they are suffering — suffering heavy losses, you know, there’s always a time for retaliation and everything.
But I said we are insisting, but this is really how it looks. I have talked to the major fronts. The problem is there is a sector in Mindanao which until now, I cannot convince to talk to us. Why? They are the scholars and scholars do not carry guns.
There are a lot of them… There are a lot of them and in some places in Mindanao, aplenty. We cannot do anything punitive for the simple reason that they are in to their religious activity. And in this country, freedom of religion to practice one is always sacred. It’s embedded in the Constitution and it goes for all religions.
Now, there are a lot of them, called the tablighs, and they’re very good and they’re straightforward. And nothing is wrong with that if you trace history. They would be something like the Knights of Columbus for the Catholic Church.
So ito ‘yun sila. They go around preaching and for the reason that they are preaching really what is historical and true is something which is hard to overcome.
In 1521, when Magellan landed somewhere in Leyte, bringing with him imperialism, the flag of Spain, their religion, plus the cannons and the gun powders.
So they were able to conquer almost half the Visayas because it’s separate, it’s not a contiguous thing. It’s separated by island up to Luzon. So but that is history. For us it’s history.
But the problem is, they had a good look at Mindanao. Ever since, maybe God created the planet, it has all been situated below the typhoon belt. So everyone until now, pati tayo, all of us, look at Mindanao with a great promise for agriculture.
And we can plant and grow and we can harvest aplenty where it not for the wherewithals, the dynamics going on. And so we can only find the peaceful compromise, I think that would have solved a great deal of our problems about food, sufficiency, and even the promise of export.
I’m glad. I’d like to thank China for opening its doors again to the pineapple and the banana industry. Salamat po.
Now, [applause] that as a predicate is something which I’d like to begin my simple story. You know, I am… I said I am not into the big league. I had failing grades in Economics when I was in high school and college.
Never interested in the graphs. It makes me dizzy to see the graphs going down and going up. I don’t make —make any sense at all. Well, study just to pass, 75, 76. And I’m telling you the truth. I’m the classmate of Sonny Dominguez there. We’re childhood friends. Same neighborhood, same vicarious interests. Lahat.
And, I was not able to finish in Ateneo because they threw me out. So fine. But he was [technical glitch] of our class, valedictorian always. And so he knows the problem.
But, I became a lawyer. And for eight years, I was — for a while I practiced law then I went on to become a prosecutor and I was doing trial work in court for about seven years.
I believe in law and order. I hate criminals. Maybe the reason of my years in court. I hate drugs. And since so many lives destroyed and people wallowing in filth of money because of drugs, the drug lords.
And I have seen so many cases fall in court because of corruption. Money bought judges, prosecutors, police, submitting an “alum” instead of “tawas” instead of a real McCoy, they look alike, shabu. And those are the things that I had to endure when I was a lawyer.
When I became a mayor, if you just listen to me, this is my economics, this is my business. No big deal. I ran for mayor in 1988 and stayed there for 23 years plus entered to become congressman and vice mayor to my daughter. I knew the problems of a city in a troubled place and I just did my work.
The native in me just simply, well, for simple rules. I said, in my inaugural speech, for the first time in 1988, I said: You criminals, kidnappers, gun-for-hire whether soldiers or civilians, or whatever animal you are, go out of this city or I will kill you. And as very specific to those who are into drugs, and you are now destroying a generation of Filipinos, go out because I will kill you.
And that was the rule. I do not have to go into specifics but I saw my city grow or grew and I said to the businessmen and the Davaoeños would tell you this: I am not a business person. I have a limited thing — about the only thing that I encountered about business for during study of law and it was legal accounting. At hirap ako ng subject na iyan because I could not understand why do you spend? Debit 500 then you put it again debit 500. There must be something wrong in the system. Why would just list down your expenses and your income? You don’t have to worry about this hullabaloo. And so even then I was not really interested in business.
What I was interested more on criminal law because I really wanted to be a lawyer and criminal law. As a matter of fact, my dream was just to be appointed as a Sandiganbayan, as a criminal court handling the cases of employees in government. Iyon lang po.
So the business I said, I will take care of the environment. I told the late Jesus Ayala, he was one of my — who would call me every now and then. Ako sinabi ko ganun lang: I will make the city peaceful. I will make corruption a past in the city.
I was the first city to impose a three-day limit of clearances whether it is electrical, business, or whatever. Three days or 72 hours, after that you explain to me why it took you more than 72 hours to process a simple task. That was the rule in Davao. When I said no corruption, so I will kill you.
Not in the hyperbole but maybe just out of, you know, some passion in it. It carries more of the passion not really the literal. And Davao grew and grew and grew.
And Davao you can — expect for the blast, which we expected because it was a retaliation thing. And to an extent, it was a failure of intelligence. But Davao is now what it is because of a simple rule: I do not like corruption. And I gave each department in this government now in the national three days — one month, one month, then all the papers, clearances, released.
From the presidency…I have yet to formulate the local instruction because local government officials are not under my control but they are under my supervision according to the Constitution. So I cannot supplant or change their decision. But I can, you know, put them in place by just requiring the many days considering the nuances of local governance. I might place them something like four, five days, one week, tapos na.
At dito naman sa national, one month. And I said I assembled men who are known to me. The BIR, Billy Dulay, was my companion sa dormitory noon sa YMCA. He was occupying a room and his roommate was Secretary Bello. There were then students of — they were studying at Ateneo. Yasay and me were roommates. Yasay was a — from studying in Padre Faura but he was missing for quite a time because he is a fugitive. He was a criminal. But that was during the time of Marcos. He was being hunted so he was able to escape to somewhere. But we occupied the same room. So it was four of us.
Now, if I may just go to the sideline. Sabi kasi nila, why is this Duterte he is appointing lahat ng Cabinet? Cabinet members are all kainuman, drinking partners and kaibigan and kakilala. Well, I’d like to tell you, I do not drink. I do not smoke. I do not womanize. I live a holy life. [laughter] I’ll drink to that. [laughter and applause]
You know, you begin to delude yourself. So much lies, it becomes the truth in your life. [laughter] Sila lang kasi ang kaibigan ko. Those are the guys that I met. For example, Sonny and the rest of the Cabinet members. They are the bright guys, really, whom I met when I was from Davao studying in school, law school, and those are the bright ones. Tugade, Tugade is, he is the brightest, valedictorian of our class, bright iyan. And even Piñol. Piñol is a farm land boy. But he graduated summa cum laude. All of them are really bright guys there. Briones and…
I am the only one who was 75. But unfortunately, I am the boss. [laughter and applause] I cannot engage you in so many theories about economics and all. I must be very frank with you. I have a very limited dimension about economics. I could be good if I put myself into it. I mean if I were to read economic books right now, I just don’t have the time. I can improve my dialogue with you but I do not have the time. And so what I can say is that: In this government, there will be no corruption. [applause] In this government, it will be clean, as in clean and this government will promise you law and order. [applause]
When I launched my candidacy for the presidency, wala po akong ni isang, not even a barangay captain in Luzon except the province of Ilocos Norte and Laoag. I won there. Hanggang doon lang but only because of certain ties.
It’s a very long story but the tie that binds, parang ganoon. In the Visayas, how many prov—72? Not a single governor or congressman. In Mindanao, no governor except one and only because she loves me and I love her. That’s the parang equation. Who is she? You have to find out who she is. [laughter]
Parang—so wala akong bagahe. I have no baggage to… No debts to repay. Well, except Sonny Dominguez, I just learned that he mortgaged his hotel, Marco Polo. I hope you recover on time. [laughter]
He is the brightest, he is the richest. That is the irony of life. I am the poorest performer but I am the President so make your choice. [laughter and applause]
So ‘yan lang po. No corruption. I want my country peaceful. I want my country like Davao, where you can go around, eat durian at 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning and nothing happens. I just want people courteous.
Have you noticed Davao? And I always tell them, I do not want you smirking or snorting there. Behave. I have the best police force. There’s no checkpoint there asking for money. I don’t allow it. I simply…And I would say, do what is right. You know what is right, just do it. You know what is wrong so avoid it. Ganun lang ‘yan eh.
For the police, for the military, especially the police so I fired…When I assumed office, I fired six generals. ‘Yun ang hindi naintindihan ng Pilipino at ng human rights. Remember at the first volley, there were many killed. Have you not taken into consideration that there were some military and police officers, generals there involved in the trade?
Have you not really considered the cleansing or the purging process they had to do to save their next? And at that time, there was already mention about me because I was very open when I said: Do not destroy my country. I repeated the mantra of Davao. Alam ninyo ‘yan.
Do not do it because I will really kill you. And I said do not do drugs, lalo na. The succeeding firefights, I must admit, was between the police and the criminals but it was never the thing of the government at the outset, ‘yung patayan.
You don’t…You wrap around plastics all over the body. Why would the police do that? Why would you waste your time? Simply shoot him in the head once and that’s it.
Sabi, that’s one form of torture. We do not do it. I will not also allow it. Torture is very odious to me. If you want to kill the guy, fire a single shot, make your choice, head or heart. And maybe if you are still mad at him, his balls. Then tama na. Leave it that way. Hindi amin ‘yun. Hindi nga.
So ‘yung succeeding, ang problema, they themselves are also, you know, when you create intrigue, you know this guy, I would say just trade him but release him but tell him that it was this guy who, you know, squeal to him. So you have to create — you have to be innovative. Let them kill first among themselves and you go there into the arena to deliver the coup de grâce.
But we’re still at it. Now again, I would repeat, I will not allow my country to be destroyed. I will not allow my country — the next generation to be compromised. Maski ano gawin ko. And I will not allow corruption to destroy my government.
It took me several months to campaign. You just don’t throw away the political stock that I have built for myself tapos sisirain mo. Magpatayan tayo. Really. Do not destroy me because if you have no business except to make money, get out of government. Lahat ‘yan, without exception.
Droga, it will continue. It will continue until the last drug lord and the last pusher is out of the streets. [applause] That is a–
Killings, there will be killings if they choose to fight it out. These are very simple instructions to the police and the military: Go out and hunt for them, arrest them, announce your authority if there is time but if there is no time, then you have to ask him to surrender because if he does something overt which you think will kill you as a peace officer, then kill the idiot. No problem with that thing. And that has been the order.
And I said that I will kill you if you do drugs in this country, I will do it and I don’t give a s***. I will do it. If you destroy the next generation or compromise their future, I will do it. Period.
United Nations…In the boundary of Texas and Mexico, New Mexico and Mexico itself, in the drug war, 60,000 have already died. Me? I have 4 million drug addicts.
When I was in Laos I asked President Widodo, “how many of your countrymen are into it?” And his estimate is about 4 million. Then President Widodo asked me, “how about you?” I counted only the PDEA findings two years ago by General Santiago when he was the head of PDEA.
He said to us, I was still mayor, there are now about 3 million addicts in this country. Three years. And ang akin, my numbers, I ignored the findings and the surrenderees that you saw on TV by the hundreds of thousands. I did not include it in my statement, I said or maybe 3 mill[ion] — but after our talk I was lying, I was about to sleep and I was playing the numbers.
Indonesia is a very big country, two great islands and one small or three. It has 240 million people in it. And I was thinking of my country. It’s about 7,000 islands, not contiguous and about a million and four people, 104 million rather, one hundred million and four. And I have…If I include now the guys that you saw on TV surrendering to the police, seeking treatment, it would equal also to four million. Tabla kami ni Widodo. So we’re even, a small nation and a big nation.
So I said, I have to do something about it. Right at this time. If that is the only achievement that I can make for my country, let me repeat my pledge: In this fight of corruption, drugs, criminality, I put at stake on the table my life, my honor, and the presidency itself. [applause]
Never mind about impeachment. I don’t give—I will not die if I do not complete the six years. You know what, I said I won the presidency sans the money. Eh lahat… All of you are witnesses. A little money given by some friends. Then the machinery was almost… PDP is now a great party. But at that time, it was moribund. It was only a party of Senator Pimentel and his son, the Senate President. But I won and I said, there are three things which I kept on hammering.
Atty. Lambino is here. He was with us all the time. Only three. Sabi ko, I will fight corruption and I am going to do it. Let me end, it’s getting late. Let me end by saying: If I cut short of my presidency, if I’m ousted next year, that is part of my destiny as President. Only for one year.
If I get assassinated, then that is part of God’s plan that you be there only for two years, one year, and you die. If I’m ousted, fine. Wala naman akong ginastos. I didn’t have the — I don’t have to worry about the millions of loss. Wala akong pera eh.
But I just kept on saying that when, and in almost all of my campaigns, if you had followed me, I was the only one invoking the name of God. If by God grace I will win the presidency, I will do this. If God would allow me a life longer, I would do this. I was the only one really. Though I am into religiosity, but I believe that there is really somebody there and my presidency was really a destiny.
Even you guys, if you talked about it when I—Alam ninyo, nobody expected me. I was number — in the rating, number 3, number 4, number 3, number 4. So people with so much money never gave me money because I will not win. Three, four. So I waste money on this guy.
When I was hitting 32, and they would not have stayed there, the number stayed steady for two weeks. And when I was making my speech at the meeting de avance, I looked at the monitor of the drone and that was the first time I whispered to my wife, maybe, maybe just—because it was filled to the brim up to the Luneta ang crowd eh and it was a huge crowd. And I said to my wife, maybe if God allows it, I will win the presidency. And I did. I got 15 million or the majority of 6 million nearest my rival.
So I can only give you what has God has commissioned me to do. He said, drop the corruption of your country because it will not move. Let me just try stop corruption, shorten the procedures for all, make it comfortable…I told every everybody, I do not want Filipinos queuing under the heat of the sun or when it’s raining. Cut that crap. You can do it.
So now, everybody is into online with the entry of DTI Ramon Lopez and Salalima. Rudy used to be the Vice President of Globe. He was appointed as DCIT for [DICT]. The new hullabaloo. I do not even know how to operate the touch screen. I’m still using the push and pull. That’s — really. [laughter]
So, they would… And I said I would like to see maybe towards the third or fourth, everything will be online.
Now, I’d like to end this by saying, the S—I said it was SW[S] before Pulse Asia came out with the rating. I’m not interested in the rating. I’m comfortable with 75, just like the—yeah, hindi ako ambisyoso. [laughter and applause]
So they said, what can you say about your rating, I said six. And one reported, why not five? Eh p***, g*** Bagsak ako dyan. [laughter] Six na. But that is a moderate– I do not go for stupendous, I’m not used to it actually. I’m not used to luxury things. I– not even watches, I do not wear… It’s just, it’s not because I’m a hypocrite. I simply, am not into it actually.
I’m more of just skipping my, going around the country. And whenever there is, I’m losing two policemen a day in the drug trade. At least two on the average, two policemen a day and one or two military men. I have commissioned them to join the fight. So we will fight. I will not…
The International Court of Justice, maybe you guys, if you can also tell your friends. I have criticized them and I get to explain why, my mouth.
Early on, that thing about extrajudicial killing was really an issue against me, true or not in Davao City. Because my opponent was the bright guy, he’s now sick. I hope he dies immediately. [laughter] Bakit mo naman sabihin buhay. If he is your enemy, you want him dead. [laughter]
It was… Sonny is there to tell you the truth. Consistently, I have not lost an election, by the way. Since 1988, tuluy-tuloy na ho hanggang the presidency. I have not, I have not lost an election, but well, I’ve been very consistent in and the attacks made on you. Remember if you care to go, to revisit the campaign days, that issue of extrajudicial killing was not an issue against me.
It became an issue and a garbage when some senators poured money – I don’t have to mention their names. When I was hitting the ratings very high then they began to unleash the jettison, that garbage there.
So but it was not really an issue. It was only when I was…So I, they will know that it was the same issue that was being used now by the NGOs and the country officer maybe of the Human Rights Commission and a President, and a State Department lady and the EU.
Ganito ‘yan. This is how it developed. They used… Now, election until now they’re using it against me. Some of them may be true, some are not. But I was trying to explain that I said there is no crime at all committed by me when I say, I will kill all the criminals. It is not a crime to threaten criminals with death.
That’s the reason why they would go and say we go to war because you are behaving this way. There is no law in the Philippines which says, I have to go to jail because I said you threaten the next generation and the speaker would kill you.
That’s the reason why they would go and say we go to war because you are behaving this way. There is no law in the Philippines which says, I have to go to jail because I said you threaten the next generation and the speaker would kill you.
I was trying to explain all of these things the nuances of the law, the dynamics but nobody was listening until now. So what is my best defense as a lawyer? I insult people.
So when I began, so when I began to say, “s***, g** d***.” So everybody was looking at me. Ngayon, you are now listening to me but only to hear bad words. O, I’ll give you more. Blah blah blah blah.
Ngayon, kung puro complaint na sila. Eh p***. [laughter] Sinabi ko sa inyo, this is the story. At least give me the right to be heard. Ngayon, I will… Huwag ka ng makinig. One by one and besides you know… You’d never think of the diplomatic faux pas.
We are… This country is a member of the United Nations. I represent the sovereign authority. When I was mayor, you can attack me on the side. I was just a mayor. But when I became or now I am the President, at least be courteous.
If you have a gripe or complaint against the Philippines or personally sa akin, go to the United Nations, ventilate your gripe or your grievance then ask for a motion that it be sent to the proper organ or agency under the United Nations: WTO, WHO, Human Rights and all, UNICEF. Those are the bodies there. Human Rights.
Then you ask somebody for a motion to send a rapporteur then he will investigate me or he will call for a public hearing, then I respond and you make a report then that is the time that you put to task a sovereign nation.
Nagkulang ang mga g*** eh. ‘Di pinag-aralan. Pati they said that — the soldier — the lawyer, EU, seven idiots there, lawyers all. Sabi nila, “this guy, this leader has been heard threatening or intimidating with death criminals.” Anak ka ng— [laughter]
That prompted me to write letters and it is out. I invited President Obama, the Secretary of State, the United Nations, the Human Rights Commission and the EU: Come here investigate me. But, give me also the right to be heard. So I will have to ask you questions after questioning me. Sige, punta kayo dito. Paikutin ko kayo dito ng kamay ko and I’ll play with you.
I am very sure, very sure, they cannot be brighter than me. [applause] Maniwala kayo. Ay sus. Paikutin kita.
You know, I said I’ve been a trial lawyer for eight years. I will play with you in public. I will ask five questions that will humiliate you. And I will ask 10 questions for you to agree with me. Bantayan ninyo ‘yan. It would be a spectacle. You better watch it all. Maganda ‘yan. It will give you an entertainment. [applause]
Akala siguro ng mga buwang kasi eh, ang Pilipinas, small nation. Well, maybe God gave you the money but we have the brains. Ang problema lang is very… I don’t know what happened to this country but I’m sure after this moment, with this crowd, after my assurance that there will be no fixing of cases, there will be no exemptions, nothing of the sort, just do business, I will protect you and if there is anybody [applause] ‘pag humihingi sa inyo, tell me. Do not give me your name. Just talk to Lopez and Dominguez there. Sabihin lang ninyo.
Because I am trying now to just shoot the breeze also with the guys there sa Malacañang. You can… I will allow RP TV [PTV]. Open to the public. After the news of the day, you can text. If you do not want to include your name, fine. Lagay mo lang: Bureau of ano, Bureau of Customs. Example only. Bureau of Customs. Mr. Duterte, Mr. Martin Santos asking for money. All right, so that the entire people of the Philippines will see it every morning. [applause]
So I can assure you. I will call them immediately. Explain. But you also give him the right to answer. That’s in keeping with fair play. He can answer with his text. But you can… Anybody of you, ‘pag may manghingi, even the clerk, even the security guard, text mo lang. Sabihin mo lang, “Mayor, diyan sa Customs, ganun, may naghingi.” Then I will…
I have prepared a special bullet for him and a special rifle. One that cannot penetrate all throughout. ‘Yung ano lang, enough for him to suffer. Barilin natin ang mga…
Salamat po. [applause]
— END —
