MikeLigalig.com

*SPEECH OF PRESIDENT RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE*
*METROBANK FOUNDATION OUTSTANDING FILIPINO*
*September 12, 2016*

Kindly sit down. Thank you.

I will dispense with the acknowledgments, we’ve been introduced, all of us.
We know each other. Kasi ang haba pa naman iyong speech ko sa kaniya, with
the other guy. [Laughter] So I’ll have to make some shortcuts to come to a
parity with the time that we spent. It was a good one. Actually, we admire
you and we are just happy to be listening to you. Walang problema iyan.

This I can say, sa panahon ko ang military pati ang pulis walang problema.
I’ve been guaranteeing it day one sa pagka-Presidente ko, that you’ll have
everything you need and lahat ng weapons na makayang bilhin ng ating
Republika – iyong kaya lang – para maitayo ninyo ang bansa ng… ating bayan.

You know, I’d like to congratulate the awardees to whom this moment
properly belongs. We know your hardships. My mother was a teacher, and as a
matter of fact, there was a time in my life, earlier, na we were also tied
to the ever present 5-6. Ganoon ang buhay ng maestro, pati sundalo.
Maniwala kayo, totoo iyan. Ang suweldo talaga kulang. That is why the first
thing I did was to announce doble ang salary nila. Nauna sila. Because
there are these guys—I hope it’s there, it’s shown in your ... by December
it would have been complete. It’s reflected on your August salary already.

And second, I am really inspired to just also take the podium to say to you
all that I said I’m proud of my mother. My father was not really proud of
me. It took me seven years to finish high school, and he died when I was
still in the stage where I was not sure of what to do in this life. How I
would wish that he would be here, sana, tatay ko pati si Obama so that he
would have heard also Mr. Siason doing his praising to me.

Alam mo, sabi ko, I am not trying to offend anybody. It’s just that this
Republic works this way. But there was—I’ve been to every camp, military
camp natin, all around the country. I’m on the last three visits, which I
failed in the previous because of weather. But next is pupunta nanaman ako
sa mga pulis just to prime them up for their duties.

Alam mo, inunako sila because these are the guys that we send to the mouths
of hell, actually. And look at Mamasapano, I grieve for them but marami
akong questions. It’s either it’s about too late in the day to raise it or
it would be useless. Whichever I will decide, maybe in the course of my six
years, because I need to make everybody realize that along the way, there
are lessons to be learned – iyong klase na iyon.

Now, I was attending the Summit, I would like to apprise you of what I did.
I did attend but I purposely did not attend the bilateral talks between
ASEAN countries and the Ambassador of... the President of the United
States. Talagang ini-skip ko iyon. I attended all others – iyong kay Putin
may one-on-one ako, and the ASEAN and also the Chinese, I was there.  Now,
the reason is not I am anti-West. The reason is not I do not like the
Americans. It’s simply a matter of principle for me.

Alam mo, had I not been elected as President of this Republic, tignan ko
masyadong kawawa ang bayan. Just look at the horizon. And all the
politicians there—I am not saying that I am the best. God’s call iyang
presidente eh, walang ano iyan. It’s destiny. Pero kung makita mo and just
thinking about it, sabi ko, didisgrasya tayo. Because when I was the Mayor
of Davao City, I was the favorite whipping boy of a certain lady and itong
mga bleeding hearts and some priests, some nuns. Of course, this is a
democracy. I can understand their criticism. I can accept it with a smile.
I know what public office is, what public trust is.

Ang akin lang is, I’ve been 23 years mayor, at least wala akong kasong
graft and corruption. Hindi ako pumasok diyan. But dito ako, I was really a
hardliner because I was a prosecutor, I’m a lawyer. And for about ten
years, I was doing trial work. And many a times, I saw cases falling apart
because of corruption. Iyong ebidensiya ko naging tawas, iyong aking
witnesses tinatakot, at pati iyong mga pulis. And there was a time they
said, “Sir, alam mo, wala man kaming pera,” even the guys in Manila. Those
assigned in the Customs, during the time of President Aquino, may nilagay
diyan na mga military men – young men with idealism – pero nag-surrender.
Bakit? Kasi pinapakitaan sila ng picture ng asawa nila, lumalabas sa mall,
susundo sa mga bata. Sabi nila, “Sir, wala man kaming pera na mailipat
namin iyong pamilya namin sa Amerika or some other place, so medyo dispensa
lang muna kami.” And that’s what happened. In Davao, they raped a teacher
who was the wife of a police officer. And in front of Obama sinabi ko, I
related to him, pinatay ko talaga iyong tatlo. I made them pay for what
they did. Pinatay ko. Walang kaawa-awa. Eh bakit ako maawa? Pity is not one
of my virtues.

Eh tutal iyong nanay ko noon, every time na may kasalanan sa altar ako
naka-ganoon, araw-araw. Susmaryosep! Kung buhay iyon, idemanda ko ng child
abuse iyong nanay ko – anak ng jueteng! Almost every day. Oo, totoo,
nagkaroon ng kalyo itong tuhod ko. Hindi iyan sa simbahan, diyan sa harap
ng altar sa bahay namin. Iyong si Hesukristo noon, noong I started
kneeling, mga second grade ako. I was looking up imploring the heavens for
his misery also. When finally, iyong last na punishment sa nanay ko, she
was always looking at me. Iyong ulo niya, bumaba na. Tapos I could hear
her, sabi niya, “Rod, pareho talaga ang suwerte natin.” Sabi ko, “tama ka
talaga.” Anyway, ganiyan ang pangyayari.

Alam mo kasi, pati ako, hindi ko alam—makinig kayo ha. Hindi ko alam ganoon
kalala, pati ang mga pulis hindi nila alam, pati military. Hindi ko alam,
eh di papaano ninyo malalaman. We never thought the drug problem was that
widespread ang dimensions. Pero ang addiction does not stop there. Well, if
you are son of a millionaire, you can buy shabu every day, so, what? But it
starts with the use and it ends up with a dysfunctional family.

Kapag may anak ka, may asawa ka na nasa shabu, wala na  talaga iyan. So you
destroy the very fabric of the basic unit in the community. Then you start
to steal, you start to kill and you become ruthless because shabu six
months to one year of constant use would shrink your brain and that is why
itong mga -- well, media and of course -- ayaw maniwala na iyang mga ----
-ayaw maniwala talagang lumalaban iyan.

Maski ako, in many raids nandiyan ako. Ito si Bato, in many, siguro mga a
dozen time na sasabihin ko sa iyo, sige hintayin mo ako. Barilin lang
talaga muna iyan. At lumalaban iyan  because sira ang ulo eh and paranoia…
when you are paranoid you always carry either a knife or ano. Lumalaban
talaga iyan. Kaya kawawa naman itong mga pulis—subukan mong mag-adik, that
is why I am suggesting na kung ayaw ninyong makinig, bigyan ninyo ng shabu
iyong mga anak ninyo, free of charge, I’ll give it you. Ipakain ninyo sa
mga anak ninyo at tingnan ninyo kung ano ang labas sa anak ninyo. They come
out monsters.

So I have to deal [with] that problem in Davao City. When I became
Mayor—what propelled Davao City to be the fastest growing… I was hitting
already almost 5, 6 economic growth ko domestic, inside Davao lang. What
made it so peaceful? Anong lahat, kasi sinabi ko talaga in front of the
cameras there, “kung ayaw na ninyong lumabas sa Davao talagang papatayin ko
kayo,” period.

Now kung itong problema na ito can be solved by—you know, it’s too easy
really to criticize. But when you think of the sheer number. Sabi ng PDEA
noon, that was two years ago, and it was uttered by General Santiago, the
PDEA head at that time, said that there are about 3 million. That was the
figure of the other administration. Mine is that, nung inipit ko na lahat,
lumabas ang not so—I was awed, almost appalled and awed by the number --
700 iyong nag-surrender na takot.  How do we solve this problem?

Alam mo naging Presidente ako, dito ngayon standing. I entered the
government, the presidency midstream. So this budget that I am operating
now was made the previous year by the previous administration. Wala namang
expectations, there was no projection at all, one even a wisp na ang
paglabas nitong lahat ng droga thousands by thousands.

There is absolutely no budget for that. I cannot steal and Diokno will not
give you anything else other than what is being operated on in accordance
with the budget. Sasabihin nila, why do you kill them? Why don’t you just
rehabilitate them? 700,ooo, where do I get the money. Saan ako magnakaw?
Kunin ko iyong lahat sa departamento, then I would have derailed the
program of Briones, Medialdea, pati si Lorenzana dito. Stay as you are, the
budget that was given to you, as envisioned by the last administration. You
are limited on that budget.

So—but I go around a lot. Just to supervise. I did not declare a punitive
police action mind you against drugs. I declared a war. Talagang giyera.
Kasi kung alam kasi, lahat ng mga  police ko masasabit. That is why I had
to make a guarantee to them and to the military whom I called to join in
because I have no declared the drug threat as a national security issue.

Kasi pag hindi ko gawain—if I cannot interdict this problem now, nobody in
the horizon can, unless you guys, magkukudeta kayo and start a military
junta there somewhere. Ganunan na talaga iyan. Wala nang—there is no escape
from the…you know, just like—wala talaga, sinuman.  Alin doon, kaming apat,
mamili ka kung sino raw Bai. Mag-inum muna ako.

When as a matter of fact, the generals were into it, anak ka ng---. So
that’s I told them before I was elected. Either you resign now or I will
name you publicly and I did because they did not resign. Na iyong iba, sabi
ko, sige, at mind you maraming patay na pulis dito ha, baka sabihin puro
civilian at marami rin akong pulis na namamatay and sundalo. Soldiers even
in one drug… dala sundalo, apat na sundalo patay—dalawa pala. I had to go
there. I had to fly to every town, every community to condole with the
family and to show to the world na wag—do not with me, because hindi ako
nagbibiro dito.

And I said that even… I put at stake, my honor, my life and the presidency.
Walang atrasan ito. So ito local lang ito noon, yellow issue lang ito,
itong extra-judicial killing, sinakyan ng PR during the election time. But
they carry the propaganda too far at ito namang mga NGO dito, bless their
souls. I mean, I cannot—you know you can correct your---if you have asthma
go to your doctor, if you have diarrhea either doon sa baba or in the mouth
you can go to your dentist. But stupidity cannot cure you. Kailangan ko ito
and I said to them go out and hunt for them and destroy them.

Iyan ang order ko rin against the Abu Sayyaf. That is why marami man akong
extra—ano ngayon kasi nag-uusap naman tayo, Ma’am, eh galing pa raw ito sa
presohan sa Marcos days ba, were you also imprisoned? You are a leading
light of the Left, do not deny that, because  God is not forgiving to
liars. We have a working relations.

Wala na—ang mga sundalo ko, wala na. No, I am just trying to be funny. Ang
mga sundalo ko, they are freed of, kasi wala masyadong… wala nang
encounter. So you have this moratorium. So I have enough soldiers now to go
to… it bleeds  my heart to send a  Filipino to kill a Filipino sa totoo
lang.

You know my mother is a mestiza, Maranao. Lola ko Maranao, lolo ko Chinese.
Kaya magsabi ako magpunta ka doon, but deep inside napakasakit naman itong
trabaho na ito. But I have to do it, because I have to, you know, preserve
the Republic and its integrity.

Pero itong mga—we are talking with the Left, the MI is so accommodating
they even help up in apprehending drug violator. And for that, I should say
we must really go to federal and help the MI. One day you will have a legal
entity of your own, I promise you that. Si Nur seems to be equivocal but I
hope he comes out one day to talk to us. But the Abu Sayyaf, wala na iyan,
it’s out of control.

Kaya sabi ko sa military pati pulis go out and crush them and destroy them
just like the drugs. Ngayon itong—it started with a Rapporteur, it started
with the Ambassador. There was an election, he was asked for his comment
regarding an incident which actually happened in Davao. Tapos I was  just
narrating a fact and itong media, alam mo, how they spin a tale. Tanong
sila doon sa Ambassador na babae sa Australia, nagtanung diyan kay Goldberg
and they uttered something na masama para sa kandidatura ko. So it was
awfully wrong for them to state something during na election.

Kaya ako nagalit, wag mo siya—okay man iyong quote yan but not during an
election  because it could affect the results. Doon ako nagalit. So I said
something stupid, totoo naman. Ano ko that lady, I refused to talk to her.
Kasi may kagagaguhan ang—then they started to hit me, una iyong Rapporteur,
the very same method that they used during my—nung Mayor pa ako.

Sabi ko, “look, if I am still the Mayor of Davao City you can hit me,”
actually walang problema iyan. But when I am… however small you look upon
me, I am now the—and you just cannot—a President of a sovereign state,
sabihin parang lecturan  mo, pati si Obama, it  would have been wrong for
him to do that.

Kaya binastos ko sila, kasi kako—But you know, itong media, they—you know,
men judge best when they condemn. Actually iyang “putang ina” ang
translation nila is… ang “putang ina” -- son of bitch, son of a gun if you
cannot pronounce the slur. It was never a ‘son-of-a-whore.’ That is not—but
they actually did it to make it more palatable to the outside community and
they say that I ---my…ano raw ako, popularity ko sa Europe mababa. I am not
the President of the EU, Europe or America or China. I am the President of
the Republic of the Philippines.

I do not serve anybody else, except you. If I lose my position along the
way, fine. If I die, I’m assassinated, just fine also. But never I
would—maybe honor, I don’t think I’d lose that. Ginagawa ko na para sa iyo,
bakit hindi ninyo ako kunan ng honor. So when I made it nagkamali si—but I
came prepared. Nagkamali si Ban Ki-moon na katabi ko, isa ring nagsabi  in
public. You do not do it to a republic, the President. You communicate and
say “President Duterte just like before there are these allegations against
you when you were mayor but it’s being repeated now in the international
arena. Could you please communicate with us how we can, not really solve,
how we can maybe explain to the public.”

But si Ban Ki-moon reading the newspaper dito, basa rin siya ng basa. Pati
si Obama pumasok rin. Sabi ko, bakit ganoon? Mayor ako okay lang. So
pagsabi ni Ban Ki-moon doon, nandoon nga sila, si Secretary of Defense
hindi na nila… kasi binigyan ako ng National Security Adviser ko ng speech.
Hindi talaga ako nagbabasa ng speech eh. Hindi talaga, ayaw ko. Kasi
limitado ang time, kagaya n’yo oh, walang limitado iyong time ni Siazon
larga siya ng larga. Sabi ko sa  kanya “Oy, iyong kalahating niyang oras
akin na iyan ha.”

Noong sinabi niya, well to promote trade ganoon. Then he mentioned, katabi
ko lang eh. Pagkatapos niya binigay na ni National Security, tinapon ko my
prepared speech. I do not read my speeches. Sabi ko, “I’d like to show you
something. We kind of grieve over the human rights issue. When was the
great philosophy of human rights, when was it first adapted or when did it
evolved?” Sabi ko, you know, I would like to show you something, sinabi ko
sa kanya, these are the victims sa crater doon sa Jolo, may volcano, doon
nagtakbuhan ang Moro people when the Americans came. Nakita mo there is a
pile of bodies, tingnan mo ang mga sundalo sa tabi oh, standing over the
dead. You know except for the religion, the Moros are our brothers, our
flesh and blood.

Talking about human rights, who are you and what moral ascendancy do you
have over me to talk about human rights? Tingnan mo ‘yan. These are the
Moro people who must the Bud Dajo Massacre. Meron sa Lanao, meron sa Davao
rin. Kaya sabihin ko sa Amerikano what now. Me? You just alleged that I
killed about… police because I ordered the police to kill 1,000 criminals,
what is it to the 6,000 Filipinos men, women and children all in a common
grave because you were here as imperialists. You wanted to colonize my
country and because you had a hard time pacifying the Moro people, why?
Because in 1521 when Magellan landed in Leyte bringing with him his guns,
his cannons, his muskets and gun powder Mindanao was already thriving, an
Islam community by almost 100 years.

Mindanao was part of this Sri-Visayas Empire, including us. Pero ang Datu
nandoon sa kanila. But those who [are] richer and had settlements and even
sila Lapu-Lapu were actually Muslims. It was the first religion. But, kasi
island for island they had, it was a contiguous one, they had a hard time.
You read the archives of the Malaysians and you go to the libraries of the
Indonesians, you would know. Just a little reading.

Nauna kasi ang Islam doon. So when the Spaniards came they wanted to put
religion there. It was resisted by the Muslims because they were already
Muslims solidly for almost 100 years. So ang mag-aano na maggawa ng the
cannons of Magellan was able only to get one territory there, iyang fort
Pillar. But that was it, finished.

Then the Americans came they saw Mindanao below the typhoon belt, very
fertile land and they could get anything from the---they had the grand time
getting the fat of our lands, iyan nag totoo diyan. Walang magtrabaho sa
kanila eh, even the plantation. So what they did in the 30’s was to come up
with the sloganeering, “Go to Mindanao because it is a land of promise.”

In the 40’s it had prompted my father to -- still single -- to go to
Mindanao. Iyan ang totoo diyan. Mahirap kasi iyong ignorante, you just
blurt out, you sound too civilized. As a matter of fact, akala ikaw lang
nakapag-aral, eh kasi kung nandito pa iyong Harvard di dalawa na tayong
valedictorian, o ano ka. Hanggang 75 lang ako ma’m sa totoo lang. Hindi,
totoo honestly. Sonny Dominguez kababata ko iyan. He was our valedictorian,
since kindergarten valedictorian na iyan. He became PAL President and
Secretary of Agriculture under Cory. Si Art Tugade was a classmate diyan sa
San Beda. He was our valedictorian. Lahat iyan sila puro valedictorian, si
Medialdea, of course pati si Secretary Briones and Tigawalo. Puro ito mga
---totoo, Fernia. Even si Delfin Lorenzana. What I know of him, hindi ko
alam, alam kung sino nagsabi sa akin Pastor Quiboloy. Sabi niya iyang si
Lorenzana he was our valedictorian sa Cotabato sa Notre Dame. Eh ako, medyo
ano lang. 75 lang, basta maka-akyat lang. Biro mo naman 1990 tapos---Kaya
iyang Legarda na iyan, iyong kanto ng Legarda pati ano itong road na ito
Mendiola, diyan kami bumagsak lahat lahos. You see, inum-inum, hindi
mag-aral. Magkatinginan lang sa library---ano, ano, kala naghamon, ha,
order ka na

I’ll tell you, sino hong estudyante ni Solidum dito? Justice Solidum. He
was handling  Remedial Law and Criminal Law. One day -- alam mo maganda ito
eh –  in remembrance to a learned man – eh may question siya. Ang
pronounce—Ilonggo iyon eh. Lente, Ilonggo na nga. Tae, ang narinig ko
Duterte. Si Villafuerte ng Camarines, tumindig rin. Sabi niya, “God dammit,
why are you standing up?” Sabi ko, “I thought, sir, I heard my name, sir.”
“Because you are always talking there at the back. Come here, sit down
here.” Eh di tindig ako. Pagdating ko upo na, sabi niya, “Stand-up. You,
sit down over there. You recite,” Eh di tindig ako nang ganoon. Hintay ako,
“Start talking, goddammit.” Sabi ko, “Sir, there is no question yet, sir.”
Hindi ba tama naman, nagalit siya. Aah nagalit sir, gumaganoon ako,
“Duterte, remember this, do not scratch your head and scatter your dandruff
in this room. Keep it on your head, it’s only one that you have.
Goddammit!” (laughter)

Ewan ko kanino pa, sa amin na section. Alam mo kasi kapag fourth year ka
na, puwede ka nang magdala ng girlfriend. Iyong mga bisita mo kasi
naka-Americana, practice nga eh. So you can invite – karamihan niyan mga
syota. May isang practice court, “O, call your witness.” Eh aksidente iyon,
simulated, “Yes, sir, I would like to call my next witness, a traffic
officer assigned in Quiapo.” “Hmm, call for him.” “Where you in fact in
duty at that day?” “Yes,” sabi ng witness. “And what happened there while
you were doing your duty?” “There was an assistance for an investigation, a
traffic accident in Morayta,” blah, blah, blah. Tapos pag sabi, magkamali
ka talaga eh kasi sa nerbiyos sabi ng bu****, “and what did you saw?”
“Goddammit, I thought he is a policeman?” “Yes, sir.” “Then why you asked
him what did you saaaw?” [Laughter] Tumindig talaga, gumanun, “Why are you
asking him, is he a carpenter? What did you saw?”

Hay naku, those were the days. But that’s the vignettes of life.

I do not want to prolong your stay, it’s quite a bit late. I’d like to
again my warmest felicitations to the awardees. And of course, ni reserba
ko talaga, my deep respect to you, sir, George and to Mr. Sobpreña for
remembering the services of your fellowmen, lalo na kaming taga—we’re just
workers of government. Pareho tayo, I do not address my officers or
officials. You only say in public, in public I say, ‘we are workers of
government and we are paid to do our part.’ Kaya lang a little bit of
understanding, this campaign against the drug problem/menace will not stop.
It will not stop – pinupusta ko na ang presidency ko diyan pati buhay ko –
until the last addict is eliminated.

For as long as it would take me, two years, fine. Sabi ko nga, if they feel
that they want to impeach me, go ahead, be my guest. But for as long as I’m
there, they will have my support. Itong drug campaign, ladies and
gentlemen, I assume full responsibility. What the military will do and the
police have done and will do in the future, they have my command,
blessings, and nobody should go to prison for just working. Eh kung
mademanda sila, ituro na lang ninyo, it’s the presidential order. You
arrest Duterte if you want. And I’m ready to be arrested. Pumunta ka dito
‘pag hindi binaril kita, p**t... Karami kong Presidential Guard oh. May
machine gun pa pala diyan sa loob.

Anyway, I said, I will try to govern this country in parallel with
development, economics and all. Pero hindi ko bitiwan. For as I have said,
if I stop now, I wish I could but... I should have compromised the next
generation.

Maraming salamat po.

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