(Note from MindaNews: This is the official transcript of President Rodrigo Duterte’s speech, released by the Presidential News Desk of the Presidential Communications Office)
Presidential Communications Office
Presidential News Desk
SPEECH OF
PRESIDENT RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE
DURING THE INAUGURATION OF THE ARMSCOR SHOOTING RANGE DAVAO BRANCH
[Delivered at Catitipan, Buhangin, Davao City | 26 February 2018]
Thank you for your courtesy. Kindly sit down.
I have here a two-page speech. Kulang po because I’d like to talk about something else. But before that, may I make the acknowledgments.
Ambassador Demetrio Tuason, I — we are very proud of you. You are serving the country very well. Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa, also on extended tour.
Alam mo, do not be offended but I’m okay with the Armed Forces. But I have a problem with the PNP and it does not begin today nor yesterday. It has been a perennial pain in the a** ever since. Sa Manila lang naman, Manila lang. Walang ano…
There seems to be a breakdown there. I don’t know what causes them to be derelicts. But the problem is the perception. Although it has gained the traction of respect from the Filipino people, hindi ma-sustain ‘yung momentum because every now and then, may mga pulis na talagang matigas.
You know, I — right after martial law, class ’72 kami. So we took the Bar ’72. It was released in ’73. Right after that, I married and so there was this aberration in the income, although libre ‘yung bahay kasi sa nanay ko.
I was forced to seek other moonlighting jobs. And I was a professor until now of the Police Academy here dito sa Davao.
I have been a lecturer of Criminal Law, Criminal Evidence, pati Criminal Procedure. And kaya sabi ko, I know the entrails of the system.
I’ve been mayor for 23 years. Under me, I had this good rapport and cooperation with the military. And kung wala sila at walang police, we could not made it in Davao to progress as much as it is now.
Pero dito sa… Ako ipagyabang ko ang Davao talaga. Ang problema sa ibang lugar and the… I think what is not really acceptable to me is some of the law enforcement at kasali na diyan ang NBI ay nasa droga.
So I hope that they would realize, since anyway if it is not really enough income, they might want to go somewhere else and look for another job. But itong sa droga, talagang…
And it will not stop the war against drugs. ICC or no ICC, it will proceed and it would last until the day — of the last day of my term.
Because if I… [applause] ‘Pag mag-hinto ako dito, considering the drugs that are flowing in the country by sea and they are just throwing it, the bins, the plastic bins with a GPS. And the drug lords here can always find them in the high seas and bring them in and it really compounds the problem also of the local industry.
Marawi’s war was precipitated by the service of a warrant sa isang tao doon who was accused of drugs. And nung pagpunta ng mga pulis, they were met with a heavy gunfire, armor and so they had to retreat and called the Armed Forces in and that was the first casualty, ‘yung Marines ko na about nine of them were slaughtered doon sa bridge. I forgot the name. [Mapandi] ba ‘yun?
So they were crossing that bridge and they were just being picked up like chickens. Doon nag-umpisa ‘yun. And well, it continued until the night and it was a full-blown rebellion the following day.
So ‘yan ang problema dito sa droga. They just do not realize it. And just because there are dead persons, it does not necessarily mean na if there are so many dead persons, we have to stop our campaign against drugs. I said, we will have to compromise the next generation. ‘Yan ang makasama.
Mabuti’t dito, kaya man kaya natin, eh ‘di kayahin natin because we’d never know what kind of weaving the societal fabric after our generation. Hindi natin alam ‘yung tahi eh.
So we might come up with a strong nation for our children and our grandchildren which are in front of us now o ma-compromise talaga ang Pilipinas.
So dito sa panahon natin, tapusin na lang natin ‘to. So I have three more years plus. And maybe at the end of my term, we would have — not really get rid of everything because that’s impossible but bring it to the barest minimum with the least casualty of people getting crazy.
‘Yan ang unang problema, that’s why I said I have to go out of my speech. Then the second is terrorism. Terrorism, kasali na diyan ang NPA. I refused to acknowledge that they are a political body seeking…
Alam mo, the reason why rebellion has a very low penalty and all the crimes that you can commit — arson, murder, in furtherance of rebellion, talagang na-absorb into one and most is about 12 years.
Only because people there are telling the world that we want change because corrupt itong gobyerno na ito, itong gobyerno na ito abusado. Well except for the private crimes, ‘yung mga rape, hindi na kasali ‘yan.
We are willing to admit that there has been really a lack of push. For example, land reform and I am sticking to it. My program has acquired so many hectares.
I am… Ito namang kasing contractualization, why don’t we just follow the — because of the sheer number kasi eh. Sheer number of people needing job.
But in other countries, be it in Hong Kong, America, you work for a certain guy and if he does not like the quality that you produce, you get out, you get paid, separated and that’s it.
Ganun lang sana but because there are few businesses to absorb the human resource, kaya they want some radical changes.
I don’t think that I can really give them all kasi hindi naman natin mapilit ‘yung mga kapitalista na — kung walang pera o ayaw nila o tamad. Don’t make it hard for them to run the business the way they like it because that’s their money. So something of a compromise must be — maybe acceptable to everybody.
Itong terorista, mga NPA pati kasali na ang ISIS. The ISIS is really the ISIS. I do not want to expand the definition any longer because all the rebellious factions in the Moro land area are all affiliated with the ISIS.
At the end of the day, they would group. I would not want to speculate about the MI and the MN but there is really a problem in the horizon, the darkening clouds of terrorism. So we will deal with them the same way.
Wala na tayong pili diyan. The way we treat the terrorists in the southern part, most of them, we will treat them the same way that we treat everybody as terrorists. I do not believe in the ideology anymore because it is not really one which is good to be…
Nobody practices it. China is very progressive. Up to the time that they were a communist country, wala. Now, I would like to send itong nag-surrender sa China and Hong Kong and see for themselves whether Marxism, Trotsky, Maoism, or Lenin is still applicable in our modern life.
Kaya ipapadala ko sila doon ‘yung nag-surrender para masabihan nila. But we will deal with them the way we should treat every criminal.
For after all, they go about extortion and the ISIS kidnapping, making it hard for the Filipinos and making dan — an existence in Mindanao almost a compromise of whether or not you want to stay here or not or transfer to another place.
So I am not ready to make the order. But you know if I’m — you’re only limited to — I’m addressing myself to the civilians, shotgun, shotgun ka lang muna pati .22.
But if things get worse, I will allow the mobilization and the maybe purchase of the ROTC and those guys who have had military training and I will allow you to use, bear the high-caliber firearms.
Kasi if it’s terrorism and they would it — they would do it just like in any other place in the Middle East, then that is the time we will have to fight for our survival.
And I would not… I would never go to a peace negotiation on bended knees. I will not. Maybe they just have to wait for somebody else’s to fill the place.
Ako, I’m not. I am not ready na takutin ako na para gaya ng komunista, eh ‘di magra-rally sila, magpa-parade.
‘Yung gusto pala nila is to continue with the peace talks. Eh ito namang loko-lokong Sison na ito, you cannot talk sense to him. He wants a coalition government. He knows very well that we are ruled by a Constitution. And the Constitution says that sovereignty resides in the people.
Since we cannot exercise all of it at the same time we elect leaders and representatives. That’s why you have Congress, House of Representative. Then you elect a President who is the Commander-in-Chief and the Chief Executive of the government.
Well, he can exercise the powers of the presidency because elected kami. And you just cannot join a government and exercise the powers of sovereignty through coalition. That cannot be done. That will be a violation of the Constitution.
‘Pag sumama ako sa rationale na ‘yan or rationale, two things can happen — are will happen. Either I’m ousted for a serious violation of the Constitution for allowing others to take part in governance, which they are not supposed to, or I will be impeached.
In either case, not because I do not want the job or I want the job, I just don’t like to f***… Ayaw ko talaga ‘yung ano lalo na ‘yung under a threat… I’m sorry.
So those are the two things that we have to prepare. They are regrouping and I’m sure we will have to respond one of these days. I hope it would not be too serious really to cope up with all of these things at the same time.
But we have a strong Armed Forces. I have good soldiers and we demonstrated it. We have a capable police. They went there to die and… Although I’m sad but at the same time I am happy because I was able to show to the world that we can quell a rebellion in so short a time.
So, maraming nagko-congratulate sa akin. I said, “give it to the Armed Forces and to the police.” “Wala ako diyan,” sabi ko. I was just the one who signed the martial law.
But the actual fighting are done by my soldiers. Go to my soldiers and thank them for what they did; thank the police for their sacrifice.
Ako, I wish to announce now that I want to build a strong Armed Forces and a strong police bago ako mag-alis sa aking opisina. [applause]
They will have the priority in the purchase of… Second na muna ‘yung iba. Well, of course, we want to have the infrastructure but what would it do good to us if we are a weak nation? Kaya-kayanin ka lang.
But if we have a strong police and you say, “do not mess up with you because I will really — upakan kita”. And that’s what happened to the guys sa droga.
Despite or in spite of the plain view na ang shabu tag-200, 600 kilos, the Human Rights and all others keep a blind eye.
So if you keep a blind eye, I will ignore you. I will not talk to you and I will not answer your accusations.
Eh, ilan ang namatay sa Marawi? They were all related to drugs. One month before I kept on announcing — hindi ko lang — I did not really…
Sinabi ko lang, “do not force me to declare martial law. Stop it.” I was actually talking to the guys because pati ‘yung mga pinsan ko doon sige tawag. Ang pasahan ng baril dito malakas.
Ang hindi namin alam at hindi ko nalaman na the ordnance was that great, that big. ‘Yung ano nila pulbura nila, the rockets and everything, and bala… So, but it’s allowed kasi…
But now no more sale of ano… We will buy all the ammunitions and if really it becomes to a big push from a [unclear], we will mobilize. And we will defeat them.
You attempt to attack a city then we are prepared and I’m sure we are capable of doing it. I have ordered looking for the money but I have ordered the police to create another five to seven battalions of our SAF and the Army to take in about ten thousand more.
There are… Our neighbors who are good and despite the boycott sa America of our needs we are getting some firearms somewhere. I am not at liberty to divulge it but in the next few days we will have about 5,000 more shipment coming from a friendly country.
We will survive and we will win these pocket wars. And we will be a great nation someday. Sa aking panahon, medyo ako lang muna ang tiga-pigil. Ako lang ang ma — ano mo lang tayo. The role now is really to…
But I said at the end of the day, tapusin natin ito lahat para paglabas ko at least ang mga anak natin wala na masyadong problema lalo na ang ating mga apo.
And, of course, ito na nangyari ngayon because of hardships. We have to improve the Philippines para maka-absorb sila ng — ang ekonomiya and the workforce.
And you would know that maraming construction ngayon medyo nag-slowdown because ang ating mga plumber, master — master carpenters, master sa el — are all in the Middle East.
We are trying to get them back, may delegation ako doon. ‘Yun ang kailangan natin, wala tayo… Marami tayong tao but you cannot just pick up a guy there and order him na magkabit-kabit diyan ‘di puputok ito.
So we have to strengthen the TESDA, ‘yung lahat ng nag-surrender… I don’t… We will embark on something also for the Moro people. But dito we accept them, we give them houses, condos, meron na, nandiyan na.
Mine — may 1,000 nandiyan sa Talomo. It was intended for the military pero kung marami na ang mag-surrender, sabihin ko na lang muna sa inyo, bukas na lang tayo, gawaan ko kayo ng mas masara — mas maganda, kasi wala akong magna…
Kagaya nung Kadamay, puro kawatan. Eh inagaw ‘yung mga sundalo, sabi ko, “eh ibigay na lang ninyo ‘yan.”
Ang sabi ko, “anong gawain natin? Barilin natin?” Mahirap lang ‘yan, nadadala ng mga komunista. Sabi ko nga diyan sa ano, “ano bang — ano bang nakain ninyo? P****, bakit kayo maniwala diyan sa — kay Sison?” A force in your life that you are ready to die for. Is he God? Puro utak lang naman ‘yan basa ng mga libro nila Karl Marx. Tapos kayong mga g***, susunod-sunod.
Kaya ako galit — totoo ‘yan ha, nandiyan man ‘yang mga Army natin. Galit ako sa mga babae, mga amazona, kasi before I talk sa crowd, usap-usap kami doon. You imagine, one family, husband and wife, nag-NPA tapos ngayon, for the first time nag-surrender, they saw their son 17 years old na.
Sabi ko, “g*** pala kayo eh.” Bakit kayo nanganak? Ba — eh kung gusto mo lang pala mag-NPA, bakit ka nanganak, bakit ka nag-asawa?” 17 years, eh doon — anim ang anak, iniwan doon sa lolo pati lola.
Sabi ko, “gamitin niyo ‘yang utak ninyo.” Kaya sabi ko, totoo ‘yun, sabi ko, “kayong mga amazona,” totoo ‘yan eh, sabi ko, “kayong mga buang kayo, sali-sali kayo ng NPA tapos sige anak, pabaril ko ‘yang p****** ninyo para…” [laughter] Totoo ‘yun, that was — that was a — sort of a sarcasm.
Sabi ko, “paanak-anak kayo tapos iwanan ninyo?” Kaya sabi ko, “ayaw ninyo ihinto? Sabihin ko sa sundalo barilin ‘yung p***** ninyo.” Pero it was not actually a — parang pang-insulto lang ‘yun na… Do not, you know, he who is the cause of the cause is the cause of them all. ‘Yan ang problema. Kaya mag…
So ang third batch mag-punta sa Malacañan nanaman. Ganun din ang sabihin ko, sige kayo panganak, iwanan ninyo, mag-NPA kayo, kung ‘di mag — hindi kayo naawa sa…
So ‘yun ang ano… Never mind about the speech. Ang speech ko dito is ARMSCOR. ARMSCOR is part of our lives already. Whenever we think of ARMSCOR baril ‘yan pati bala.
So wala tayong problema. Marami na tayong bala and we can always import kung magkagulo ang Pilipinas, only if there is a very serious threat to our Republic.
In the meantime, you can buy the .22 and the shotgun. It’s a good defense weapon, pambahay lang muna. Worse comes to worst, the first thing that I will do is to arm the ROTC and the reservist, and after that the civilian.
‘Wag muna ngayon kasi kukunin lang ‘yan ng NPA eh. They will just surround you on evening, five of them and they would go and say, “give me your gun.” And if you are in with your family in a house, there’s about, really, nothing you can do.
That’s how they generated the firearms here. Except for the karagatan noon, which were really galing sa Vietnam, ‘yung mga armas, local generation na ‘to dito.
So out — and with the many years na pinapatay nila, they were able to generate ambush, pang-raid. But it can happen because this is a democracy. We cannot be searching everybody and stopping them, tanungin kung ano ka, it’s not allowed. ‘Yun ang pasista.
Sabi nga mga — loko-loko itong p** — ‘tong mga komunista, “Rebelyon! Rebelyon! Asdang mga ano — armadong ‘pag — rebolusyon!”
Sabi ko, “sige, rebolusyon kayo? Mag-counter ako ng revolutionary government.” “Ah, itong si Duterte talagang diktador, may plano.” P***** i** mo, yaya ka lang.
Sabi ko nga eh, I… If by 2020, ito makinig kayo ha, if by 2020 there’s a federal structure ready to be implemented and it calls for a president, I will step down, step down. I will give way to a new president.
Hindi na ako mag… I will not tarry any longer. And if I exceed my term even by 24 hours, I am ordering the Armed Forces and the police, to oust me, to arrest me and remove me from Malacañan. And if I do not — if I resist, shoot me. Madali lang naman ‘yan, isang bala lang ‘yan. That is my guarantee to the Filipino.
Wala akong ambisyon except just to go around, talk with people, and probably eat after. That is my only happiness. Wala akong — naku kung malaman lang ninyo ang nasa — kung masilip lang ninyo ang puso ko, mali ‘yun. Maling desisyon ‘yung si Ramos, sige tulak. “Sige, kuwan, ano, karon maka-Presidente ta’g taga-Leyte.” Tan-awa na hinuon p***.
It’s very hard, a very hard job. Sabi ko nga eh, sweldo P200 — ah, P200,000? Eh alam naman ninyo publicly dalawa ang asawa ko. Magkasya ba ‘yan tag-100? [laughter] P***** i**.
Ako talaga totoo sabi ko, “you want a figure I like ngayon? Give me 1,500,000.” ‘Yan ang sweldo ko, may gana pa akong mag-trabaho.
Pero kung ganito? Ay sus. I will hurry up the years, sana bukas na.
Wala man akong ambisyon except to serve my country, make it a good place for all of us, comfortable, and when my time comes, I will go. No problem. No ambition to stay any bit longer.
Salamat po. [applause]
—END—