Presidential Communications Office
Presidential News Desk
SPEECH OF
PRESIDENT RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE
DURING THE OATH TAKING OF THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB OF THE PHILIPPINES NEWLY-ELECTED OFFICERS
[Heroes Hall, Malacañang |7 November 2016]
Masama namang pagdating ko dito, mag-take oath kaagad. So maybe you’d want a word or two and it should be about freedom of the press.
Dito sa atin, it’s thriving, it’s working and I would say that itong Philippine press maybe own a level equal to the United States in being free and independent, no pressure.
Ang problema lang dito is ‘yung continued killings of media people. Of course, by itself this fundamentally hideous and wrong.
But sa experience ko naman kasi, there are others really which would indicate something more insidious than just ‘yung galit sa… there could be something more to it actually.
Usually niyan ‘yung… hindi naman lahat. But there are really exceptions. For example like extortion and reneging on what you promised to write or talk about or outright ‘yung perfidy.
‘Yung may nakita ako na noon, mag-ano ako, mag-iimbestiga ako kung bakit. But, pati ako niyan binibintangan pa.
You know I became popular as mayor because of the attacks made on me. Particularly itong law and order.
You know there’s this strange… Hindi ko lang sinabi ‘yun eh. But the more that you rub it on, the more that it would make me popular.
I don’t know if it’s happening in the national scene but para sa akin kasi, historically right after my first election, I was not bothered without… bothered with, without winning, sabi ko, basta ako mag-trabaho and I don’t care if I lose but I will deliver to the people what I promised.
So anyway, not really ‘yung nagwawala na pumapatay. But I was quizzing everybody to just work, ang law and order kasi pag takot ang law enforcement, kagaya noon.
Just an example so that also you’d understand the… from my probinsyano. Marami ako diyan, jueteng, tong-its, tari-tari, sabong sa kanto-kanto. Usually it’s always under the protection and consent of the precinct commanders, which in turn has the blessing of the RD and upwards.
Ganon ‘yan eh. I saw it works in the Philippines. Pati ‘yung mga, ang video karera. Hinayaan ko na lang ‘yan for the moment because I’m busy really in the fight against drug.
The fight against drugs is actually a working network of the big ones. And unless you’re able to destroy the apparatus, national level, you’d not be able to get a relief sa drug problem natin.
Kasi ‘yan sila nagpapalitan ng teritoryo, if it is up there, if it is medyo alanganin, they just transfer to another territory and it’s the art of accommodation and compromise. ‘Yun ang laro dito sa Pilipinas.
And the reason I am not so keen about going after gambling is not because I want it. I do not want it, just like any other administrator of the country. Lalo na mahirap.
The problem is I do not have the men na to focus on one area, kagaya ng droga. Kasi pag nabankante ‘yang network diyan, nature hates vacuum. And somebody will just have to take over the vacuum that you leave.
So from one of, sa jueteng ‘yung patad, the distribution would shift to droga. Kasi nasanay na ang mga tao and there are a lot of activity. It’s really an apparatus and unless you’re able to deal with the apparatus which is really the meat of the matter, you’d not be able to stop jueteng. I mean—for that matter, sugal pati ‘yung droga but the more… ‘ika nga, and the word insidious is really drug and it is a… sabi nila, this is–it is, but it is an acquired and willingly.
It is a disease which you get with your free will. Sabihin nga nila, eh sakit ‘yan eh. Hindi, tama ‘yan. Magkakasakit ka talaga. But it is an acquired disease.
And, in terms of health, in the area of health, magastos ‘yan. For the four million to be rehabilitated, reduce it to something like two, two plus. Baka ‘yung iba naman kaya nila magpagamot na—Even in the Medical City, it’s about 300 pesos a month. Kwenta-kwenta namin dito sa Cabinet meeting kahapon.
By the way, after so much debate ‘yung climate change, pipirmahan ko because a unanimous vote except for one or two. Ako ‘yung isa which was arguing about. If it’s a binding treaty, you have to have a sanction. But it’s binding. If you read the treaty, it’s binding but there is no sanction.
So that if it is a low country in terms of economic level, the big ones will always force upon you to do it. But if it is the highly industrialized countries, there’s nothing you can do about it because ‘yung sanction sa… cannot be done by the smaller nations, let alone without the powers of pressure.
The name of the game is pressure. Ang isa pa diyan, they get the money. Now remember, contrary to the popular belief, we read the contract word for word, ‘yung mga pera na to be culled sa mga rich industrial countries, hanggang doon lang. And there is no binding agreement that they have to pay this and that, pati ang sabi nila na they are forced to say that.
Sali na tayo dito eh. Eh kung magkaroon tayo ng damage, e makakolekta ka diyan sa 200 million revolving fund, o 300, billion o million.
But whatever it is, the industrial countries have been known not to honor financial obligation, especially America. It has not paid its dues to the United Nations. Late ‘yan sila magbayad. At hindi nakaka… Baka hindi ka makabayad diyan sa America, United Nations, mas lalo na kung.
So it’s more or less a problem of perception. But Yasay presented the strongest argument against it. Although later bumigay siya.
Ako naman, because it’s a Cabinet decision, I’ll go along with it and sign it. As I have promised you, I will not solve this problem alone. I will give it, place it on the table, give the Cabinet members, the whole of the Cabinet to vote.
Kasi ako ngayon, hindi talaga ako kampante. Of course, we are now bound if we sign it. But in matters of enforcement, if they say it’s a binding treaty, there has to be a sanction. So otherwise if you don’t, there’s something coming up your way.
The problem is, read again and again and then you’ll find that there is sanction. Even in the matter of contributing the money to a common fund. Read again because it does not say about payment of damages that you will incur, in a storm or a typhoon like “Yolanda.” That money you can borrow to build your – anti-pollution, anti-carbon emission.
It is a money that has to be used in a different way. Not an outright payment for the damages. For after all, ang hinihingi lang nila sa atin is 0.3. With China about 24 carbon emissions, footprints.
Tayo 0.3 lang ang hinihingi nila sa atin. But ang national law natin says that over the years, we will have to reduce it by 70, if I’m not mistaken. Hindi na kaya, sobra nga eh.
Ang hinihingi nila 0.3. There’s really no point in, they’re insisting on signing it. Because the national law which binds us only, says that we have to reduce it by 70. Look at the law.
Hindi na kailangan nga eh. 0.3 lang hinihingi nila. We’ll overshot it by a thousand miles. 70 ‘yung atin. So ang hinihingi nila sa’tin ngayon is hindi na 70 but 0.3 but we have a law which if we don’t amend or change or modify, it imposes a more stringent and strict number.
‘Yan ang—That’s why it took us several hours to finish the Cabinet meeting only to dwell on that particular issue. But hopefully, I said, with the decision, which I myself decided to be, decided by the committee as a whole. So walang problema ho ‘yan. Apurado lang kasi ‘yung iba eh.
So and they were blabbering their mouth about not my signing. I did not have a single, even one page paper before in front of me. So what do I sign? What do I study?
Eh ang mahirap kasi, if one starts to ano… Well, but that’s always the [vow?] in the freedom of the press. Whether you’re too early or too late, as long as you are read on by other people, they love to be in a hurry and. Wala pa—
When I said that I was not into it, I was only expressing my expression. I do not lose the freedom of expression just because I am the President.
I am not barred from giving my own opinion just because I am the President. And I do not lose the right to just go down the melee with the media, just because I am President.
Ayan ang, those are things that, those are the [inaudible] of the moment that controls are freedom of expression.
Pero ako, I believe in freedom of expression. I believe in the free press. I believe in the right to peaceably assemble to air a grievance.
But most of all, as a lawyer, my favorite quotation comes from [inaudible] was a famous politician during his time. And he would say always, I may disagree by what you say but I will defend your defend to death to say it.
‘Yun ang paborito ko. And that’s a quotation that comes out from my mouth when we start to talk about freedom [inaudible] that I decided to form a task force and look into, itong mga ganitong patayin ‘yung ano, malalim ‘yan, but most of it is actually the criticism that ‘yung gustong pumatay, kaya niya nagawa or you traverse to another territory and that is the family.
Remember that freedom of press mostly geared against establishment, the state, and it’s abuses. And that is why the court state is there to fight the abuses of the first and second or third branches of government. You are the fourth.
So ang dapat lang, but some other in the provincial. Pardon for me saying it really [inaudible] ‘yung kulang nga ‘yung dito, ‘yan sabi nga nila inutusan lang magbili ng pan, pagbalik announcer na.
Just because ‘yung iba malakas kasi—So they are the contenders of… kung meron mga– Kasi kung mahusay kang magbaboy ng tao, enjoy ‘yung… so you get a lot of the market. Could be dangerous. Hindi basta-basta mag-media.
Lalo na kung if you talk about the existence of jueteng. Ang iba sa amin noon, prosecutor pa ako, mabigyan tapos huminto, magdaldal uli. Manghingi–
So wala ng katapusan. That’s one. Second is you go overboard by attacking the wife, the child. It’s a no no. Naghingi ka talaga ng kamatayan diyan, especially if you attack the children.
Pwede pa maski ‘yung tao lang mismo, balik-baliktarin mo ng, babuyin mo. But never, never enter into the private domain of private lives. Talagang hihiritan ka diyan. Lalo na anak, asawa ganon. “’Yung asawa niya nangaliwa, ‘yung asawa niyan hostess ‘yan.”
Delikado ka because you know people can take, they can swallow insults lalo na kung totoo. But hindi nila kaya ‘yan babuyin mo ‘yung pamilya. There was never really [inaudible].
One man’s sin cannot be the sin of the family. So ‘yung ano nga, ‘yung iba diyan papasok doon sa probinsya tapos ganon. ‘Yun ang delikado. It’s more of education sa ethics whatever there is in—
‘Yang akin, that’s just a piece of advice. Once upon a time, I was there down. Eh marami ako… pati ako napagbintangan pa. But ‘yung sinasabi nila nag-atake sa akin, it may be more popular if guaranteed the 23 years of my mayorship.
Alam mo ang nagkamali dito, politika, tapos ‘non. Hinihiritan nila ako sa law and order. Hinihiritan nila ako sa criminal na… ‘yan ang gusto ng tao. Kaya ako nanalo maski hindi ako kilala because I was carrying the message, law and order.
O kung hindi law and order, at least ang tao hungry for a peaceful community. It could be a barangay, it could be a city, basta community niya.
Pag nakauwi ‘yung anak nila, wala na silang takot, nakalalakad na sila. ‘Yun ang– That is why the raping, for me, mas mataas they never learned their lesson.
In Davao, for the ten elections, ang akin babae pati… extermination of– And both, I said, totoo ‘yan. Hindi mo naman masabi, it’s really useless mag-sabi siya, “Ikaw t****** ka.”
‘Di siya, “Oo, t***** ako.” “You are not a statesman, you are not like a presidential.” I never said I was a statesman.
Ang pagkaalam ko tumakbo ako Presidente, hindi ako tumakbo ng pagka-statesman. My language is rough. Well, you know from where we came from. I’ve always been that way. No apologies, no excuses.
I go down. I should go down. Babagsak naman ‘yan siya. Well of course I should. Hindi ako nag-ano, hindi ako nagbubuko lang, sinasaktan.
Pag sinabi mo “Ah kay Duterteng trabaho ‘yan.” Ay totoo. So start proving, if you have the case, build it up and they have the goods, file it in court.
Ganon talaga ang ano… Hindi mo ako makipag-argue sa… Tawagin nila ako ganon, ganon, ganon. Totoo ‘yan. Kilala man ninyo ako, pagka—‘Nong tumakbo ako. Eh pinili ako ninyo eh.
Pag sabi next year, babagsak na ‘yan, good. Pag sabi ng iba na ‘yang military mag-coup d’etat, good.
Sabihin ko sa kanila, magkaibigan man tayo, let me know, you come here to Malacañan, mag line-up kayo diyan, ka-uniporme kayong lahat, raise your right hands and I will address to you, ladies and gentlemen, ito ‘yung mga bagong rulers ng ating bansa, they can, they can do better than—
Hindi man ako galit doon sa komunista. And to think that we are not suffering any lost, wala akong loses sa tao pati bala. Just imagine you sign a document to purchase 26,000 rifles. What’s the purpose of it?
Because a Filipino would kill it against the Filipino. That weapon. So big deal ‘yung the way na we are not selling anything, the better.
Lesser arms the better. Mapupunta lang ‘yung iba sa NPA, eh ‘di tama na ‘yung… we are not losing either but we are not winning.
We are trying to contain them and doing pretty well with that. Pero sabihin mo na there will be a massive demonstration that this millionaire lady from America would fund it, susmaryosep. No need.
Come here and I will install you as the new ruler. Solbahin mo lang ‘yang problema sa komunista, solbahin mo ‘yang MI, MN, BI, Maute, pati Abu Sayyaf. Now, if you can solve the problem, good riddance. Be my guest.
I have no illusions about hanging on to power. I’m not the guy– I said if you can perfect or you can craft a law na itong federal set-up.
It is the only framework of government that can produce peace in the land. Whether you want to believe me or not, that’s the proposition.
Nothing else would appease the Moro people. You don’t give it to them, we have been at war for 45 years. Another four to five years will do for this country. The Moro, ganon rin.
We’ve been fighting since 1972. No agreement, no nothing. I do not know if they would talk to but Misuari is just around. Although may mga kasalanan na ‘yan. Zamboanga siege but what can we do?
There is something more solvable for the moment than just continue hitting each other.
With that, I end my talk with you and I’d like to welcome you to Malacañan and I call this the People’s Palace. I’ve changed it but they keep on calling it—It’s not really a Palace, it’s just a piece of wood here with some… ‘Di naman talaga Palace ‘to sa totoo lang and this has been occupied—
There’s a place there where there’s a stone memorial indicating where I think the mother of Rizal knelt down to the governor general of the Spaniards to spare the life of Rizal.
So, it’s a—Kaya ako nakatira dito simply because it has been used by the so many people that oppressed us along the way, all these years.
For the 400 years under Spain and the 50 years and they lived off of the fat of the land and they have the gall to say “we will not give your assistance.”
Parang sa Bisaya kasi ‘yan, every time that they do that and they have been always doing it, that’s the usual practice.
As if you are addressing sa amin ‘yan. I don’t know what’s the correct– That’s an idiom actually, it’s a Visayan idiom when you say ‘patay-gutom.’
It means to say hirap ang… I don’t know what’s the Tagalog. It’s a colloquial or it’s an idiom. Basta kaming mga Bisaya pag-anong ganon, with contempt, sabihin ko, patay-gutom itong yawa na ito.
So ganon sila, they treat us that way. I said they forgot that they enjoyed 40 years of unimpeded, unbridled exploitation of our country.
And you tell me now, you do not deserve the crumbs of our favor. God, marunong ‘tong mga g*** na ‘to.
— END —