Talk With the Philippine Marines and Navy

SPEECH OF PRESIDENT RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE

DURING HIS TALK TO THE MARINES

Acero Hall, PMC Headquarters, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City

September 27, 2017

Salamat po.

Sorry, I’m late.

Major General Honorio Costales Jr., the Commandant; Lieutenant General Salvador Mison Jr.; Rear Admiral Gaudencio Collado, Brigadier General Maximo Ballesteros; the officials, the men and women of the Philippine Marines Corps; my beloved countrymen.

Na-weather po kami, so I had to go to Basa, then we could not make it—nagpunta na lang kami ng Clark, doon na lang kami nagsakay ng Fixed Wing, and the weather is bad over there.

You know, I went to Arayat because I wanted to build the morale of the men there who chanced upon a huge factory of shabu. Talagang malaki, and if you want to, maybe a visual thing of the size, parang hangar. And the equipments were already there but were a bit rusty also.

Sabi ni Governor Pineda na it was built during the election time, tapos, nung natapos ang eleksyon, siguro na—yung marami nang patayan, medyo inabandon nila. And hindi pa nagamit yun. But I am just wondering how in the earth, na may mga shabu dealers or manufacturers or the syndicates could have imagined to built the factory that was estimated to—one run would produce 200 kilos and they can make a run for twice a day and that would have been something like 400 kilos to kill the brains of our countryman.

Alam mo, hindi ako nagbibiro, I do not expect that maybe—you know, the ponderables of life. I could be there for six years, I could be there for only days, months or I could be your President for—

Alam mo ang buhay, hindi mo talaga—I said, the imponderables of life. Matanda na rin ako, but this is just a warning to everybody and to you. At may hingiin ako sa inyo. I’m not asking for any loyalty. I am not asking for any adulation. Pareho rin ako sa inyo, I started from the bottom. I rose from the ranks before I became Mayor and my being President is something which is really a mystery to me until now.

Maski kayong mga expectators, while the—it was evolving before you during the election, maybe there are some of you, pati kasali na ako, how and the world did I make it. But maybe, destiny has something to do with it. Ngayon pinili lang siguro ako ng Panginoong Diyos kasi talagang hardliner ako. When I was Fiscal, I started at the bottom, the seventh, then the sixth, ganoon. Until I was the second Assistant Fiscal when I was taken in as the OIC Vice Mayor, but unfortunately, I quarreled with the Mayor, an OIC also, and in 1988, I won. Sa awa ng Diyos, I served Mayor for Davao City for 22 years and a Congressman and a Vice Mayor to my daughter, iyong si Inday, iyong nambugbog ng sheriff.

You know, kabado ako dito because of the enormity and widespread and magnitude of the contamination of the country. Ako mismo sabihin ko sa inyo, hindi ko—paano ‘to? How can I solve this problem? There are now estimated—no, General Santiago before sa PDEA told us that there about 3 million drug addicts and 92% of all barangays are already in—under the influence of it. So paano ito?

You know, when I ran. I ran on a platform of drugs, crime and corruption. Corruption, I can really say to you, now, that this government will take clean and it will be clean.

Itong crime, kung sana itong murder-for-hire, kidnapping just like in Davao, madali lang. Kasi nag-warning kasi ako talaga. Ako, in front of the public, wala na akong taguin, matanda na rin ako and after the presidency, sino ba naman ang gustong magkulong sa akin.

But in Davao, for all of these years, kayo ang na-assign doon o taga-Davao kayo, alam ninyo yan. Sinabi ko ‘pag hindi kayo umalis ng Davao, papatayin ko kayo. And yung akin, that is a personal outrage because I serve the people. Pangtakot lang rin iyan or would you rather that patayin ko na lang, wala na akong warning. Yun ang nakasanayan and so marami ngang patay.

Sa totoo lang, ganito iyan. Maraming patay sa Davao kasi ang pulis doon nagtatrabaho talaga. Kasi ako, pag sinabi ko sa pulis, “follow my order, just follow my order and do not worry about anything.” Maybe, you just also be worried kung ikaw ang matamaan. But there was a time, and you can check this out, there were 27 of the police officers: sila Morente, lahat iyan, they were recommended for dismissal for following my order.

Kaya nung dumating ang kaso sa Ombudsman, tapos yung dismissal, pumalag ako. Sabi ko, Putang—hindi ako papayag ng ganito, magkagulo tayo dito. I will not allow any policeman or soldier going to prison for doing his duty. Kaya ang Davao noon, maganda and it was touted to be the seventh safest cities in Asia. Well of course, if you forget about the bombing and the terrorism. Alam ko na when the Zamboanga campaign began in earnest, I knew that there’s gonna be an explosion somewhere.

So nangyari nga, binalewala ko na lang, kasi sanay kami eh, simbahan, airport, pantalan. So balewala sa amin iyan, all we have to do is follow the rule of President Ramos: “return to normalcy as fast as you can.” Kinaumagahan, malinis na, wala na. That’s the way how to do it. So I’ve learned the lessons from President Ramos also, a lot of it, actually.

Ito ngayon ang babalikan ko. Pag nawala ako and if this will outlast me. Sabihin ko sa inyo, I am not encouraging you to take the law into your own hands or whatever, but sabi ko malaki ito at mga problema. As a matter of fact, of all the candidates, hindi ako magyayabang dito, kung iyon ang trabaho na iyon, I was the most prepared to deal with the problem. Sa aming apat noon, at mabuti talaga ako ang nanalo. Alam ninyo bakit, hindi ko talaga akalain na mag-abot ng hundreds of thousands ang mga Pilipino sa droga, kaya ako galit.

Hindi ko sukat akalain na mag-abot ng—what? 700? But day to day, we are receiving surrenderees until now. At the end of the year, it’s gonna be another one million, eh di pareho kami ni Widodo. I attended the summit, the ASEAN in Laos. Sabi niya, “yes, 4 million addicts.” But you know, Indonesia ratio and proportion, Indonesia something like 200 million people, tayo ang liit lang. I mean, Indonesia is really a large territory even if you go in Jakarta, it’s almost equidistant Manila to Japan. Ganoon kalayo, ganoon kalawak, 4 million ka na. Tayo, it’s really island for island, wala naman tayong contagious except the islands of Luzon and… Anak ng—hindi ito kaya, maniwala kayo.

Looking at the horizon, kung military ang magtakbo diyan na—hindi kaya ito ng—yung mga sa horizon, mga pulitiko. So I would like to ask you of this: Kung nandiyan iyong problema, it’s 4 million at kung ganung klaseng factory ang pinaglalaruan tayo dito, you have to do something about it, individually or collectively. I do not—well, I am not trying to—hindi ito kaya ng— The sad thing there is, itong isyu ng human rights was an issue that was being played when I was Mayor.

And I must admit na talagang sabi ko, my rule: If you destroy my country, I will kill you. If you destroy the youth, iyong mga anak namin, papatayin talaga kita. Tama iyan sinabi ko iyan. At iyan ang paborito ng human rights, yung nag-Presidente na ako na marami na ang natumba. But you know, I always lay the predicate, yung sa mga pulis, alam nila iyan. And even without really studying criminal law, you can only kill a person if your life is in danger. What would the—wouldn’t it be idiotic na kung nakataas na iyong kamay, patayin mo pa. And that is not the work of a soldier or a military man. I’ve been cautioning everybody against yang, eh sisirain mo ang brrrt, isang bala iyan, tapos na.

Hindi tayo Abu Sayyaf. We do not—we have a standard of decency even in killing persons. Papasirit-siritan mo, putulin mo pa ang mga leeg, napaka-corny naman na trabahong iyan. But alam niyo ito, sabi ko, alam na ng pulis iyan, nag-aral ng apat na taon, dalawang taon, na pagka sinabi na: You go and operate, hunt for them, apprehend them, place them under arrest and if they offer a violent resistance and if you think that your life is in danger, eh di patayin mo eh. Ano pa ba ang gusto ko, gusto mong mamatay iyong pulis pati. Every time—may namatay na naman saan ba yan, pupuntahan ko pa ngayon. I make it a point to go even in the farthest, Samar isang patay.

It’s not a matter of show, tapos na ang eleksyon, hindi na ako makatakbo. I don’t really give a shit—it’s because I want to show solidarity with the police and the military. Doon sa Mindanao, last four weeks ago—apat. Assisting the police, patay. So I had to go around Cotabato to condole with the families, but more importantly really is to show my solidarity in this fight against drugs. I mean, I can always stay in Malacañang, eh trabaho ninyo ‘yan, di magpakamatay kayo diyan.

Ang problema, ako mismo takot. Kasi ako takot, kasi nung bago akong Mayor at pumasok yung droga, may kumpare ako na tinawagan ako ng gabi, nagpapatulong kasi iyong anak niyang babae nire-rape ng anak niya na lalaki. Iyong mag-ano na—because shabu, and it was the American who suppllied us a data na that use of shabu six months to one year, shrinks the brain and no longer viable for rehabilitation. With a 4 million, ilan diyan ang hindi na ma-rehab? So I’m telling you, nakakatakot ang problema. Because itong wala nang utak, they go around, ang alam lang nila, pag wala na silang pera they will kill, they will just—what? Steal, and when they are high, they rape children, diyan sa sidewalk kukunin lang, dalhin sa ilalim ng jeep, and those were the crimes.

Ngayon ang crimes. Ngayon, puro patay, puro mga adik. So, itong America, instead of helping us, kasi pumasok ako ng ng pagka-presidente midterm. This is a budget I am operating on that was prepared the previous year. This is not my budget, kaya nung pumutok ang problema, wala akong pera, ang naiwan ay para pang-suweldo na lang. Wala na. Binottoms-up nila. If you remember, they’re coming, bottoms up. So wala talaga ako magawa, saan ako maghanap ng pera.

Itong mga Amerikano, instead of helping us, alam naman ninyo, because sumakay sila. The yellow rode on the issue when I was a Mayor. I never deny that I give the orders. Why? Why? What’s wrong with the President threatening the criminals with death? Bakit mali? Bakit mali na takutin ko yung mga criminal na patayin ko. What’s wrong with that? There is no law in the Philippines which will prohibit a Mayor from threatening criminals and to leave the city if they persist in their activity. Ngayon, itong mga Amerikano when I say I kill you, like the UE (EU). Kaya nagmumura ako, kasi abogado ako, abogado man itong mga unggoy na ito, bakit hindi nila alam na there is no law in my country which says I cannot threaten criminals and wrongdoers. So if it’s not a crime in my country, why would you make it a crime or a wrong in your forum. Iyan ang ayaw ko sa Amerikano.

Sila ang gusto magpa-hero and they criticized me because the ‘yellow’, hanggang ngayon, they are still, you know, three years from now, that’s an issue – human rights. So binubuhay talaga nila iyan at gustong gumanti, eh alam mo, talo and then iyong iba naman cannot accept defeat.

Itong Amerikano, pati sina Obama, sumali na, kaya ako nagalit. Sabi ko—kaya ako nagmura. Sabi ko—kaya doon sa Summit, ang pinakita ko, eh nagkamali si Ban Ki-moon eh. Isa pa rin itong buang. Tang-ina! Ang tawag ko, Ban Ki-sun. That was really a slip of the tongue, it was not intended, pero pagsabi niya, talking of human rights, tutal nandito naman tayo, kinuha ko. Bakit? Why? Because the human rights is an issue against—maybe me, and America and Obama. Kasi ipinakita—

Ako, I wanted—I am not a war-time President, mind you. I am a President seeking the peace for my country, for my people. Kaya nga nakikipag-usap ako. Right after election, I started to talk with the Left. So it has come to pass that we are now talking Norway, in Oslo, providing the good offices so that they can meet, ‘tong si Bello, and I tendered a dinner, do not be offended, tutal Pilipino ‘man din iyan, the entire leadership of the NPA-CPP-NDF. Sila Jalandoni, sila si—lahat lahat. Lahat ng mga lider nila. Sabi ko, come and let’s have dinner, then let’s talk about peace.

Sabi ko, I’m happy that we have stopped fighting because I have a serious problem in the south. So nabakante ako ngayon, walang away masyado against the NPAs. I can use the troops to contain the fighting in—nagalit lang talaga ako kasi—hindi ako, if there are Moros here, my mother is a Moro. Ang lola ko ang Moro. Ang lolo ko sa mother side ko, Chinese. But my father is a Cebuano. Though I—tanungin mo ako, ang lineage kasi ng tao natin, we traced it from the father. So I would always say I’m a Cebuano but I have never stayed in that City even for—

Eh kaso nga itong mga Abu Sayyaf. I’ve talked to the MI, okay kami. We’re now starting to talk. Si Nur Misuari, I’ve been waiting for him but he seems to be equivocal because iyong proposal niya ngayon, noong una, mag-usap ta. Ang bagong proposal is, pati iyong Abu Sayyaf isali na niya at pagdating ng panahon, kung magka-okay tayo, isali niya sa general amnesty. Ah sabi ko, “no.” Hindi tayo magkasundo, pagka ganun, ‘wag na lang tayo mag-usap. I will not. For the life of me, I will not.

As a matter of principles, sabihin mo, kalimutan mo na lang yun. Luglugin mo yung tao sa harap ng—hindi ko kaya iyan. Pati yung last time, iyong bata. Why should I talk to animals? What’s the point? Ni walang awa, hindi man lang—kung ganoon ang ano, then Mindanao would be a problem for all time, then so be it. Then wait for the next President if he wants. Ako, ayaw ko because I do not want. As a matter of principle, hindi ko matanggap iyang ganoong style na iyan. Patayan na lang tayo, mabuti pa.

If it could be peace, iyang mga tao na iyan isali mo? Would you think that they would really stop? May mga Morong kapatid ko, sabi ko nga, federalism, tapos bahala na kayo doon sa barter trade diyan sa—buksan ninyo. We’ll give you a definite territory, just like Murad. Then you want to return—kasi noon, wala mang kidnapper, walang Abu Sayyaf; free trade was flowing there. So we’d give back to them, wala akong problema diyan. But to—pumunta ka sa akin with the mixed crowd including iyong mga Abu Sayyaf, ah wala. You wait for another president. Ako, ayaw ko diyan. I said, it’s a matter of principle. Matter of principle, ayaw ko talaga. Mabuti iyong magka-intindihan na tayo. But if you would carry the burden of war, eh si Duterte kasi ayaw ko. Well, sabihin ko sa inyo, as a matter of principle, I cannot accept that, that’s the problem.

So, iba na namang diskarte ito. I really do not know. Either Nur abandons the Abu Sayyaf, and you will take care of the Abu Sayyaf. Kami ni Nur, we will just talk about peace. In the fullness of God’s time, Allah, maybe we can perfect it, the komunista, tapos itong Abu Sayyaf, MI, then maybe, you can have a peaceful Mindanao. We have no bombings anymore but, Inshallah, baka.

So that is my report to you. My guidance is—to you is hindi ako nag-iiwan ng ganoon. I’m just making a very strong statement. Hindi ito basta-basta ganoon. Kung sino iyong presidente na ano, but kayong lahat— That is why, I have placed you to be policemen. Actually when I said, I am calling the Armed Forces to assist you, I am now calling you to be policemen also to fight the drugs. That is what it means actually, simply stated.

Ngayon, you’ll have to change your paradigm. Because the coming years, it will outlast you, I’m sure after your retirement. Dadating yan. Kailan? Do not bother to ask; dadating iyan, it’s terrorism. ISIS will be there. In Mindanao and parts of Lanao where my lola, mayroon doon mga ISIS, iyong mga banner nila. And I know that Arabs, tawag nila puti eh, going around just lecturing. Kagaya ng mga komunista kung mag-teach in, wala man madalang—mga political officer nila, wala mang baril iyan. They go there and they are promoting the vicious—

That is next year, I have a budget, naghingi ako. I will provide every soldier, irrespective of rank, bigyan ko kayo lahat ng armas—short. (applause) Kasi, hindi ako maniwala na, I’m overruling that silly—isa pa rin itong pulis. ‘Pag hindi ka naka-uniporme, hindi ka magdala ng baril. Eh di napaka-inutil naman nung pulis pati—eh pulis na kayo ngayon eh, kaya ko kayo binibigyan ng baril. Ito namang pulis, ‘di ba, may rule sila na ano, if you are not in uniform, ‘wag kang magdala ng baril. Iyong corridor na yang Calinan to Bukidnon to Cagayan, tapos dadaan ka ng a part of North Cotabato, ‘wag kayong magkumpiyansa diyan. Dapat naka-cock and lock ka talaga diyan. Kayong dumadaan diyan, kayong mga taga-Mindanao.

So iyong pulis galing diyan sa Marahan, which is actually the boundary of Davao and—naka-uniporme, upo siya doon sa likod ng driver. May kasamang policewoman pero walang baril. Sinong General ito? Sabi niya, bakit? Gusto kong patayin. Bakit mag-order ka nang ganun. A policeman is a 24-hour policeman. Nakakahiya naman na sabihin na, ‘Mayor, may pinatay diyan, o nagpapatayan.’ Tapos sabihin ko, ‘Ha? O ano? Mag-uwi muna ako, magkuha ako ng baril o magtawag ka na lang ng ibang pulis.’ Buang na. (aughter)

These are really some silly—pag andiyan na iyong pulis, that is attached to your body. Ang problema lang kasi ng karamihan, itong mga pulis pati sundalo, lalabas ng gabi, mag-inuman. Diyan pulis, dito Army o Marines. Maya-maya magtinginan tapos mag-agawan na sa microphone, ‘My way of dying.’ Maya-maya, putang-ina nagbabarilan. Putang-ina kayo! Eh ganoon sa Davao eh. Iyong hindi nagkatuluyan, iyong sugat-sugat, sinisipa ko talaga, putang-ina! Karaming kalaban natin, bakit kayo mag—buang itong mga—ah naabutan ko talaga, isa dito sa paa, isa dito. Sinipa ko sila doon sa emergency room. Iyan ang ano, wala nang mahanap, sila-sila sa gobyerno ang mag—mag-buang.

Well, anyway, I said, I’m late. I’m sorry. But itong tandaan ninyo, in my time, six years, kung anong kailangan ninyo, sinabi ko na iyan sa lahat ng sundalo, kung anong kailangan ninyo, ibibigay ko sa inyo for you to fight. Kung anong klaseng baril gusto ninyo, because matagal na iyan eh. But check it out because sometimes, kung sige lang ano, naglu-loose bore na iyan, so it does not have the accuracy anymore. But anything you want, you need to win a fight, to win a war, to win a battle, ibibigay ko sa inyo, walang problema. (applause).

I went to your medical center. Would you believe it, I was really appalled to know na walang MRI, walang—kasi karamihan ng sundalo, ang sakit kidney. Lalo na iyong Army kasi magkain iyan, maski unsalay magkuha ng dahon, ano bang dahon sa Tagalog? Basta the leaves, lagyan lang ng asin, kain iyan. Ganoon ang sundalo eh. Kaya pati itong Amerikano, mag-uwi galing operation, maghingi pa ng ham and egg, tapos air condition. Kaya kinukulata iyan sila doon sa— Ipadala mo Pilipino doon, itsahan mo ng isang sardinas lang diha, isago lang sa bunbon kan-on. (laughter) Amerikano, patay! Dalawa man mga yawa na. Tapos kung mag-asta, sarhento kung salita, akala mo general.

So I will end my speech by saying that—I said you have a problem, this will take much of my time. I have a quarrel with everybody but let me just— Itong pagka-Presidente ko ha, wala akong ano niyo, except economic benefits will come if there is a peaceful Philippines. Ina-undermine tayo ng Amerikano ngayon, they’re manipulating na low—ang peso raw ay bumaba. Eh they just—

I would like to ask you to remain faithful to the Republic. Give me time so that I can go out of this ambit of our—kinakaya-kaya kasi tayo ng Amerikano. Binastos na ba. Sabi ko, there’s always China, and I talked to Medvedev, sa Premier sa—pagka inipit nila ako, I will have alliances pero hindi ano. Hindi tayo makaalis, we have this RP-US pact eh, defense, new alliances of commerce and trade. So I will be visiting China and maybe Russia and the other cities. If they continue to manipulate and—then, you will understand why.

There’s a matter—bakit mo pakialaman, mabigat ang problema. Ang puno’t-dulo nito is you cannot understand a friend. Instead of helping us, alam nila ang budget because they have a government, instead of that, aatakihin ka. Sabi ko, “Ah, ganoon. Oh di sige.” So please understand, but this Republic will rise. This Republic of the Philippines will continue to be great. At saka sabi ko, dating ang panahon, hindi na natin sila kailangan lahat. We will survive on our own. We will fight our wars on our own and we will win as a country.

Maraming salamat po. ●