Groundbreaking of Pulanai Hydroelectric Power Plant

The President attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the Pulanai 10.6 megawatt Hydroelectric Power Plant on 9 December 2016 in Valencia City, Bukidnon.

SPEECH OF PRESIDENT RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE

DURING THE GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY OF THE

PULANAI 10.6MW HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT

Valencia City, Bukidnon

9 December 2016

[start of live stream]

Pagtalikod ko… ‘wag ito ha. [Speaks Bisaya] For example, hydroelectric. It’s really light, it’s energy. [Speaks Bisaya] Guapo pa kay… Renewable in Manila [Speaks Bisaya]

But anyway I’m very happy that a [unclear] decided to utilize the hydroelectric power. It’s water, renewable at [Speaks Bisaya] ang mga NGOs pati itong mga taga-Europe sa climate change.

Alam mo, isang bagay na gusto talaga natin is to utilize the sun which is endless actually. At tsaka ‘yung water, but it would also be dependent on the climate, itong hydroelectric.

Sometimes it dries up and I really do not know how to fix it. But it is there. Tsaka ‘yung wind power. Ang wind power, wala, walang hangin ‘no. Nasa ulo ng… nasa mga taga-Maynila. Alam mo na kung anong–

They could talk and talk and talk because ang lahat ng hangin ng Pilipinas, pumasok na sa mga ulo ng mga walang–

Well anyway I’d like to congratulate the corporation, Pure Meridian, for venturing into this business. Just let me drop a few words about itong climate change.

Now, Trump, President ng… elect ng United States decided to junk the, a garbage, a lot of garbage about climate change and ‘yung there’s a treaty about controlling the carbon emissions dito sa atin.

Alam mo, maski ‘yung makina lang sakyanan, whenever there is even smoke, anything that really starts with the burning, that’s really carbon.

Ang problema diyan is ‘yan lang ang kaya muna ng Pilipinas. They’ve been harping on so many things like solar and wind power but unlike Batac which is, which faces the Taiwan strait—maraming hangin doon.

Dito, the wind current is almost going up, by the spin of planet earth invariably ‘yung hangin, hinihigop pa doon sa itaas.

And most of the time the typhoons that come our way usually go up. It does not touch Mindanao.

Now, the reason really for the so many distractions dito facing Mindanao is there is really a climate change. A few more degrees higher than the last century.

And ang mundo kasi nasanay ng ganong temperature kaya everything was really growing, including mankind.

But ‘yung Ozone layer, pag ka ano mo, cancer and everything, we cannot deny that we need to argue for the cost of preventing climate change. Wala tayong away diyan.

Ang problema, itong climate change na binabatikos ng NGO for refusing to sign.

Ganito ‘yan eh. It is… It is—eh ano—’di kasi abugado eh. Hindi naman ako nag-ano. I’m not trying to…

Sabihin mo mas marunong kami mga abugado, but I was reading the proposed treaty which we signed eventually. It was that it is binding on the member-state, mga signatories and if it is binding, it binds all to obey it.

Now the problem is, there is no sanction. May kasalanan pero [Speaks Bisaya] There’s absolutely none. Not a punitive or money or whatever and the world of affair runs like this. Kung tayo, because we’re trying to invite everybody including China, which will be coming in very fast in the days to come, probably next year, magdagdag nang magdagdag tayo. It is really exponential.

Even if you peg it at .03, hindi mo pwedeng ilagay diyan. Then ang problema, it could pass in that treaty that there’s a committee, somebody, who would allow you and disallow you or maybe call your attention and pressure you not to do it.

Ngayon, kung ang Philippines ang mag-violate because we need the industries, alam mo matagal na ang Pilipinong naghirap, matagal na ang tao nag—suffering from corruption.

About the only thing that is holding us down is really corruption sa gobyerno. Isa ‘yan.

Now you’d never know what comes up. Sabihin mo na do not peg me at this level because I need to industrialize. Mabuti kayong mga mayaman countries for example, China, United States, Russia, and the European countries. Sila ang nagbubuga talagang the most—Kung kanila ganon, ang atin dito lang. Wala naman tayong mga factory. Mahirap nga tayo because we have not been able to take off.

We are just like a plane that is travelling fast on a, sa runway. And never having a lift to go up. I really do not know but every other country in this world that’s progressed, even the, dito sa Southeast Asia, tayo na ang pinaka-mahirap. I would believe that it is really ‘yung initiative ng tao. It is a damper because of graft and corruption. Nauubos eh.

So there are many things that I vetoed dito sa, ito sabi ko. Huwag ninyong gawin ‘yan because I will not accept that. I will just throw it out.

‘Yung mga sabi ko na, tama na. Do not—I mean, at least give us, give me… ibigay mo sa akin ‘yan. ‘Yan lang ang hinihingi ko sa gobyerno na tama na muna. For six years at least. Just slow down. But you know these things, the treaty, it adds, to a lot [unclear] because finally kung meron na diyan, hindi mo mapigilan.

Ito ngayon, the catch is… Pag tayo ang nag-violate at we are called upon to reduce, we have to. Why? Not binding, binding but no sanction.

Alam mo, pag tayong maliit ang nag-violate, bibirahin ka ng malalaki. And you know, United States is mahilig ng ganon. They would impose, and lahat na eh, ang sanction nila, it is not found in the treaty. It could be found somewhere else. Sanctions, trade restraints, ganon ito, wala kayo dito, wala. ‘Di kayo kasali dito. Do not go there because, you stop business.

They could… just like America when they decided to impose sanctions on Iraq and Venezuela and all, talagang warak ka kasi tigas sila eh.

Ngayon kung sila ang tigas, tayo mahina. Sila ang mag-violate tapos sabihin natin, ‘o huwag mong gawin ‘yan. Do not do that.’ I thought all the while that it is not allowed in this treaty, but what did you— you’ll get a shrug. ‘O, tapos bakit anong gusto mo?’ We cannot impose sanctions. We do not have that worldwide influence and clout na para i-pressure sila.

So ‘yan ang ayaw ko diyan. They initiate something itong mayayaman na countries and yet kung basahin mo and even the 10 billion. Tell me. Most of you have read it, it’s connected with the energy sector. Twenty billion?Tingnan mo ang treaty kung saan, what do you get the 20 billion as a seed money for what?

Itong mga bright sa Maynila, NGOs. You know, if you’d sign that because there’s a 20 billion anyway. If we suffer from the catastrophe, devastation, damage, there’s always the 10 billion.

Alam mo, it’s a poor man’s argument. It’s hollow. Why? Ang Amerika, bago lang mag bayad ng utang—ang Amerika does not pay its dues. Hindi nagbabayad ang buwang na ‘yan. Totoo. So sinong maglagay ng 10 billion?

‘Yan ang ibig kong sa—eh si Trump is cutting back the money, expenses. ‘Wag yan, mahal. ‘Wag yan, mahal. It’s a good thing for the Americans but what does that spell for us, for the Filipinos?

At ‘yang, in their, sabi nila if we suffer from a climate change in Southeast Asia, it’s just the money. If you read the treaty, it says, it is incentive money to build gadgets, machines, whatever, to prevent climate change. It does not provide anything as a relief for damages incurred by any country. Because of the climate change. Magi-improve lang tayo.

That money is to enhance, it does not say there that it should be paid to countries who suffer damages because of the climate change.

Hindi lang kasi naintindihan ng mga—ewan ko ba. Marami kasing bright talaga sa—puro valedictorian eh. Cum laude, summa. Kami wala dito, sumasadsad lang pero okay man.

I mean,in our poor man’s—eh ako ordinaryong abogado lang. Pare-pareho lang tayo dito. Ilan ang valedictorian dito? Gumraduate? See? Summa cum laude? Cum laude ka? Sino pa? First Honorable? Second? Third? Fourth? Wala. See.

Ikaw lang ang nag-iisa dito. That’s what is—Marami kaming hindi kagaya mo na mas marunong pa sa iyo. Even a treaty as sacred we bind our nation na altogether binding tapos kung yang malalaki. Kung baga kung ang general diyan magtapon ng sigarilyo sa kampo, no smoking, eh sundalo talaga baka mag-tingin lang. O makita niyang kuan, sundalo. ‘Goddammit. Give me 50.’

Eh kung sarhentong matanda-tanda na eh… ‘Sir, mag-gyera na lang tayo, mag hanap tayo ng kalaban.’ [laughter]

Si General Santiago, he used to be the, head the Philippine Drug Enforcement. Si Admiral Lista used to be the Philippine Navy. Wala na siyang barko. Meron siyang yate. Pero karga-karga puro babae, hindi ano, bala. [laughter] Totoo man.

Anyway, ‘yan ang ano ko but maligaya lang ako na meron dito. At least may umabot din na ilaw sa, the light of civilization has reached you. ‘Di man ako, I was not your mayor but whenever I go places in Mindanao, I always travel here. Pero ang ano ko lang is I hope that the—

Alam mo ‘yang Davao – Bukidnon Road, I don’t know whose fault it is. I’m not trying to attribute it to anybody. I would say that government is to blame. Pero katagalan niyan, ilang administrasyon na, hindi natatapos ‘yan. P***** inang repair diyan.

Tig-dalawang kilometro, tatlo tapos mag repair na naman tapos lubak. And to think that it is a road andito on an elevated—I would perhaps maybe understood all of the things there.Kung mababa, mabaha pero dito… Mahirap mag travel diyan sa ano. Minsan tapos tag-five kilometers. Ten kilometers, one lane. Palit-palit kayo. For that 10 kilometers, hintay ka. Kung may diarrhea ka, diyan ka sa purot-purot.

Kasi [unclear] ganun palit-palit ‘yan. Ewan ko kung meron pa diyan dahil kung wala, tawagin ko na engineering brigade. Ipa-dig, pa-grader ko na lang ‘yan hanggang, huwag nilang daanan ‘yan.

Buti pa mag-ikot nalang kayo ng Davao, tutal downhill na papuntang siyudad. Tapos sakay kayo ng truck mas maka-ano kayo.

Pero ‘yung– Well anyway, wala naman sigurong problema dito. Valencia is a, maliit lang ito. It used to be barangay ba, barrio. But because of may… pag-open ng highway ayon, so it’s really an improvement to everything, it’s highway gagamitin ng tao mobility and then itong energy.

Kung meron niyan, you can expect… as long as we will have peace in the land. Ang style kasi ng NPA, pag hindi niyo naibigay, sunugin. Hoy. Makinig kayo ha. Huwag ninyong pakilaaman ‘yung sa tao.

Energy, communications, everything, lay-off, lay-off. You have better just– They are asking for the release of about—Kung nakikinig kayo ngayon, they’re asking for, you, you’re asking or demanding the release of 120 political prisoners.

I denied it. I declined to do it because I have given so much too soon. Sabi ko sa kanila, produce to me a document which is that you have agreed to an indefinite ceasefire. Do not put the term there, huwag kang magbigay ng timeline because this will be a long and winding road sa negotiation.

‘Yung diyan lang, ano lang ‘yan. Preliminary but the real McCoy is when you, when I start to talk to them face-to-face. And I don’t know what, but it is always the interest of the government that should prevail.

Kaibigan ko sila, I talked to them but I used to travel widely sa Mindanao. I’d go to where they are but as mayor, kagaya din nung mayor ninyo, I have to communicate… Just communicate, just we can have an open channel to talk.

You know, I’ve always have been true to my oath of office. And ‘yan ang… I said that the real thing would come when we start on the final round. Pero ako I’m willing because the Cabinet, apat siguro ang nandiyan. [reads message from aide] ‘We only have 10 minutes more for clear skies, for info, sir. Otherwise we go down.

Hindi ba ‘yan ang gusto na si Leni? Eh di magdasal siyang mahulog ‘yan. When it is time, it is time. I’m sorry nandiyan pala kayo naka… mainit diyan. There you can go, hindi na, patapos na ako, pasalamat lang ako sa Pure Meridian and of course the people who have invested.

And coal is an alternative. For the time being, much as you would like to really have a clean planet earth, we have to survive and we cannot survive without energy.

So hanggang diyan lang tayo. It’s not a question of a clean air. Everybody, everyday around the world, there is a coal plant that’s being inaugurated. All over. O magsabi ka lang three, four, five meron, six maybe ten.

So baka sabihin, bakit tayo magpahuli. It’s the most, it’s the only viable thing here. It’s cheap and… maski kapag mahal ka mag-solar ka, mahal ang, mahal magtayo, sige lang sila, mura daw ke mura. Mumurahin kita diyan ‘eh. Huwag mura, mura. Tapos wala namang takers, they can always come here and maybe go to my office and say, ‘Mayor magtayo kami diyan sa ano.’ Okay go ahead, that’s good.

Problem is puro salita. Theoretical but there is hollow, hollow blocks. Parang hollow blocks. So we would like to cooperate. We would like to save our country first. But we have to understand reality and the reality is what we’re having now.

So I hope I did not deliver too much. I wish the guys here would operate it with efficiency, and may I ask the New People’s Army, ‘wag niyo itong hingaan kasi pag nagkuha kayo ng pera sa kanila, itong mga ‘to mag-plano naman kung paano pataasan nila ‘yung electric.

So doon na lang kayo maghingi kaya sa—Punta kayo ng Maynila, tuturo ko ‘yung malalaking korporasyon akyatin ninyo.

Maraming salamat po. ●