Presidential Communications Office
Presidential News Desk
SPEECH OF
PRESIDENT RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE
DURING THE SIGNING OF THE EXECUTIVE ORDER
ON THE BANGSAMORO TRANSITION COMMISSION
[Rizal Hall, Malacañang | 7 November 2016]
[Greetings]
I am a creature of Mindanao. Though when I asked from where have I come, I would only say that I’m a Cebuano because we trace our lineage from our paternal mothers. But actually I have not resided in Cebu, not even for the day.
And so I’ve always considered myself from Mindanao, who has grown up in the place and saw everything that unfolded all these years.
And one of those things really is the continuous strife, the internecine between our brothers, the Moro and the Christians ever since.
I ran for President and obviously this will be the first time that you would realize it. That while they were campaigning all along, I never really, well, in a sense that I did not away directly involved myself with the campaign and because I said I was not running.
Problem is, as the campaign developed, I was appalled by the fact that nobody was talking about Mindanao. Everyone of them. The usual infrastructure project and blah blah blah blah blah.
But never one of, not one of them ever said that they would take a second look to what will happen in Mindanao. And being there was—When I witnessed to the so many body bags being carried out of Davao and those in the places where they were fighting for their lands.
And I said that this would be a tragedy because if from here, if there’s nobody who’d take the cudgels for Mindanao then the fighting will continue.
And I said, if there is no person who’d stand for peace in Mindanao, then we’ll have another round of 40, almost 45 years of fighting.
So we were faced with the dilemma of fighting for another 45 years added or let alone to the problem of the Communist Party of the Philippines—were or are fighting for almost 45 years now.
There seems to be no respite to the troubles that ailed the country. And so I decided to run on the platform that there will be a structure that must be acceptable to the people of the Republic of the Philippines.
And one must be adopted, willing, by the Moro people of Mindanao. Ang problema dito, ako lang ang nagsasabi noon.
At sinasabi ko na uli, pagbalik-balik ‘yun, here and now again. I will tell you that without an altogether new framework and the best structure that would be acceptable to all would be a federal setup.
And I said that if you can perfect the federal government, apparatus by about the third, fourth year, and there would be a President, strong President provided for a time of government, I will willingly give up the rest of my term. I will resign and I give you my word now.
Kung madalian lang sana ‘to at kung mapadali natin, there will be no problem sa akin because it provides for a strong President and since I’m elected for four years.
But if you can just finish it, in three to four years, I am out. That I commit to you.
So madalian lang natin ‘to. We can have special autonomous within the federal government for the Muslim Mindanao.
But the historical injustice, I said, that’s why I term the, the situation now, must be corrected and it dates back to the time of Magellan when he was comfortable capturing the islands of the Visayas and—But in Mindanao, they tried to do it but they were not able to complete the process because Mindanao at that time was already 100 percent Islam.
Doon ang problema. And because they were not only trying to inject a new system of colonial rule but also a religion. That complicated matters and that led into a bloody war, for 400 years of resistance by the Moro people.
And when the Americans by the terms of the treaty of Paris, the Philippines was included as one of those considered territories by the Americans.
How it came about that Mindanao was included, that is really a mystery to all of us. But that started another round of trouble and I said pardon me saying it. It’s not really intended to just and there’s so many atrocities that accompanied the campaign.
So when I showed to everybody, photographs of those taken during the time and showed the pile of bodies, of men, women, and children in a pit, in several pits in Mindanao, I would usually be answered by saying, “Matagal na ‘yan, that’s 100 years.”
And I told them, you know, this picture is a portrayal of the problem until now. It is not 100 years old. It is today. Unless, you’re able to do something about this photograph, this photo. And mind you, it was not taken by the Filipinos at that time, because nobody had that gadget called camera, sa kanila ‘yun eh.
The only problem is they took pictures of it and filed it in the archives of their country. I saw some enterprising Filipino got a copy of it. And so we have these pictures of almost the brutality and cruelty of men.
And mind you, the irony of it all, it is the very country that [inaudible] come up with this very lately realization of what human rights is.
‘Yan ang ano ko. So that when this came into a ruckus, I said that, it should be the last to say those words.
And for as long as we do not have a mechanism to ensure that justice has been served, we will never find peace in Mindanao.
In the same manner with the communists, we must be able to address them. Otherwise, no President ever after me would be able also to solve it on time, maybe over time. But I said what is very important is to educate the people.
And that is why I am very much interested in the education of the Moro people. And you know, mind you when I entered the mayorship, there was only one Madrasah school and today it has expanded to almost 169 because I wanted the Moro people educated so that they would know what to do with their country in the coming years.
So my only desire is that peace in Mindanao would finally come. And if it can be done peacefully without a fight, we would be grateful to God. But not a single drop of blood has been shed in this new undertaking of giving a country finally the deliverance from violence.
Ako, hindi ko nga malaman—You know very well kayong mga… Half of my line of my children are Muslims, and half are Christians.
So I would be the last person really to deny hindi natin kailangan. Because I would still also be in a quandary, if indeed it happens and say where is my loyalty. Saan ako niyan ilagay?
So if there’s any one person actually who was really very much interested about peace at the start and even the campaign, it was my battle cry. Mindanao, and of course, corruption and the drug and the issues of criminality.
But whenever I went around to—I only said that we have to have peace in Mindanao. And I was the only one talking about it. Because the rest of the guys, with due respect, never knew any single issue about Mindanao. Either they did not know about it or just pretended not to talk about it, maybe to, well fear to alienate the others or not also frank enough to admit that there is a problem which we have to solve.
And I hope it will be solved from the time that they’ve signed that document, I will see to it, I’ll talk to the Speaker and to the Senate President and leaders to fast track it because I want it. Maski ‘yan na lang.
If I could get a peace agreement with the communists and hammer out something for the MN, MI, and to all the Moro groupings and even the Abu Sayyaf.
If I could just extend my hand to them in friendship and just tell them that it is time to just really have a country which is normal and peaceful and for our children to grow in peace, then I would have succeeded.
Well, if I could just have this thing, territory. I am ready. If you want to call an election as early as three years from now, I said I am willingly going to step down. And I hope to complete the process of destroying the apparatus.
The drug problem in the country is not run by one person. As a matter of fact, they exchange stocks or ever there is a dirt of one supply, then they send another.
(MindaNews: exchange stocks or whenever there is a dearth in supply)
So they exchange goods, and this is really an apparatus which the government must destroy. Else, it will be the reason for the failed state of the Philippine Republic.
If you see now—alam mo sa totoo lang mag-prangkahan tayo. We are already in the narco politics stage. Just like in South America, started as just a small time and you should know the history.
There are a lot of books written about how America failed his people. And in the border along Mexico and Arizona, Texas, and the countries bordering it, there are now about 60,000 people who have died there. And nobody’s complaining.
Here I have a problem of drugs, which is really—there, supplied by many. Either out from out, thrown over board, jettison, and you know, somebody picking it up in the high seas or manufactured here.
I would not like to dwell on the one million under my term, which started just a few months ago. I will limit myself to the already confirmed figure given by General Santiago of PDEA. You know he’s heading that agency.
Ang lumabas ganito, there are about three million at that time. I do not know where to add the one million that’s coming my way to solve or to just leave it there as a separate figure.
Because kukwentahin lang ho ninyo. Sa 200 per hit, that is the equivalent price dito sa, into all over the Philippines, it’s 200.
If you times that by three million, ‘yung kay Santiago lang muna. You will have about 6,000 per month, per person. And if you multiply it by weeks, then you will have 18 billion a week, 18 billion a month rather. And if you count it by years that would be 216 billion a year.
Money that is intended for food, money intended for the school of the children, money intended for medicine. A breadwinner in the family would lose that much. And not all of it are really honestly earned, for some of them was stolen from the other, hands of those who are robbed, killed along the way, that’s why the highest of crime.
Kailangan talaga maputol ‘to, not only the individuals but the apparatus itself. And mind you again, I did not order the police to take punitive actions. I directed the police and the Armed Forces to go after them because I have declared war.
And whatever the human rights guys would tell us, whatever be the characterization of the situation. I am declaring a war and until the last pusher or the last drug lord is killed, this campaign will continue until the very last day of my term, however short or however long it is.
I am committed to that duty. I am—Do not… maybe pulling a chair here and say that. I am the only one who can do it. But in my time, because I’m here, I will do it. And I do not care.
You know, I would like to announce now that the sixteen, 200, 2,000—26,000 of M16 that was maybe ordered or were ordered already. I am ordering its cancellation sa police.
And, we will just have to look for another source that is cheaper, maybe as durable and as good as those made from the place we are ordering them.
We will not insist on buying expensive arms from… We can always get them somewhere else. So kalimutan na nila. Sabi, it would be arriving on July, July of 2017. I am ordering the police to cancel it.
Hindi natin kailangan. And you know why? Ay bakit? Why should we hurry it? ‘Yang baril na ‘yan bilihin ko? Sino patayin ko diyan? Wala man tayo kalaban. Tayo-tayo lang nagpapatayan dito. So what–? Why do I have to hurry? Buy bullets? What for? For the Filipinos.
Eh tayo-tayo lang dito. I will just cancel it, contribute it to the success of the reinvigorated Bangsomoro Transition Committee. Pag namatay ka bilhan ng baril, let us just have a moratorium of violence and maybe, we can use the money, use for, for some other endeavors. ’Yan lang ang hingiin ko sa inyo. Kasi magbili ako, gagamitin lang rin ‘yan para magpatayan tayo dito.
So, what do we get? Because you buy that, we have to buy bullets. And if you have the bullets… para patayin mo lang kapwa mo Filipino. Or kapwa mo Moro, o kapwa mo Christian.
So ako, I am committed to a peace process. I prayed to Allah that it will succeed in my term.
Sabi ko nga, maski ‘yan na lang ang magawa ko para sa bayan okay na ako. Then I can retire in peace.
Maraming salamat po.
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