Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway Groundbreaking Ceremony

The President led the groundbreaking ceremony of the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway held on 2 March 2017 at Virlo Public Market, Brgy. Dapitan, Cordova, Cebu.

SPEECH OF PRESIDENT RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE DURING THE CEBU-CORDOVA LINK EXPRESSWAY GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY

Virlo Public Market, Brgy. Dapitan, Cordova, Cebu
March 2, 2017

Kindly sit down. Salamat.

According to Mayor Sitoy a while ago, he will just be acknowledging me, and the rest… [laughter] No, what I heard a while ago that I won’t acknowledge some people because Bingbong and I talked a while ago, he said ‘Di na lang panganlan kay kontra nako.’ We can’t do anything about it.

Our Executive Secretary, Salvador Medialdea, nag-introduce na ko na Binisaya, pero murag bug-at man kay Ilokano man na siya. [laughter] Secretary Martin Andanar is a Mindanaoan. He has a lot of girlfriends [laughter]– in demand. Secretary Ernesto Abella, a pastor whom I asked to be the Presidential spokesman. He’s a good man. Secretary Adelino Sitoy, all I can say is he’s okay. Secretary Lloyd Dino was the one who helped me during the time that nobody accepted me here. Good thing he helped me. Are you friends with Mayor Osmeña? [laughter] nothing will happen later if you’ll meet there at the bridge later. Philippine Reclamation Authority General Mmanager Janilo Rubiato, he’s from Davao; Governor Hilario Davide III, Mayor Tommy Osmeña, Mayor Mary Therese Sitoy-Cho, the most important person here, the bridge here won’t be built without his corporations and the people behind the enterprise.

It’s a tall bridge, it’s still fair and it would be changing the topography and the demography of Cebu itself; si Dr. Jose Maria Lim, President and CEO of Metro Pacific Investment Corporation; Mr. Rodrigo Franco, one of my co-workers who has a good character; President of Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corporation, the one who collects money when you pass by the area. [laughter] To the holdaper here in Cordova who wants to buy drugs, it’s your time to save up your money; fellow workers in government, my fellow Cebuanos.

I was actually really happy [on the improvement] since this city is really suffering from lack of mobility, aside from that, it’s really the total absence of infrastructures. There has been always the warning for everybody that Manila City is decaying and it lacks the infrastructure to absorb even from the car industry. I think they are selling like 600,000 plus every year, plus plus. That would be included in the Metro Manila infrastructure arterial roads. You’ll back out soon but you can’t move because that’s where you are located.

So the best way really to remedy situation is to go to a mass transportation system. When a city grows, you just don’t easily allow the private cars to enter. There will be a time that those private car owners will be deprived of enjoying the luxury of riding a car, especially Manila, Cebu, and Davao.

Meanwhile, Davao City’s economy suddenly bloomed. May I just also would like to mention Davao, since I am from there, that we have reached the highest growth for a local government. There is a nine percent growth and that is why Davao is really blooming and that the price of the lots in Manila and Cebu is almost the same. Praise God, I was able to build also Davao using my pattern because I also had the support of the people.

Having been there for the last 23 years, I was able to craft the city that later on progressed and we have a low employment rate now. The highest employment rate is in Davao, since there is employment for everyone. [applause]

But the people involved in illegal drug activities died. There’s less hold-up incidents, and you don’t have to worry about kidnappers, muggers, and go holdapers when you go out and roam around at night. I made sure that I eradicated the illegal activities before leaving. I finished off everybody which I considered would be hindrances to the development of Davao.

You know, Tommy Osmeña, Sitoy, and I… do not minimize our roles in society. It’s not just a matter of police and criminal. Media tends to view us like that, that you are responsible for the law and order and that ends everything. You do not have to worry about, they forgot to worry about the garbage, about traffic, about teachers, about students, and about the general welfare of the people.

We, I built a city, I build cities. Now, I will build a country, that’s our job. I am not so concerned about drug addicts. Although you could be really a problem because [inaudible] is still the same, you still never learn your lesson. If you want to end the extrajudicial killings, tell the priests while I give the list to the people involved in the illegal drug activities.

I will order every precinct commander in town all over the Philippines to give you a list of the persons who are playing drugs and who are destroying the lives of the innocents. It’s not a problem if your life will go to waste, because you are a criminal anyway, and you destroy the life of a community and country eventually.

There’s a whale of a difference between killing an innocent person and killing a criminal. They ought not to be mixed up. I’m trying to zero in sa law and order because peace is what makes a country develop and progress. I hold it as an article of faith.

That in Davao, we could not have survived the years right after martial law wherein you have to go home by 7 pm. When I became mayor, I said I will do something to make our city progress and the only way to do it is for everybody to behave.

So when I said, “I do not like criminals in the city because it will destroy the city, I will kill you.” I do not like drugs because it will destroy our young people, our youth. They are our future. The guys that would feed us with whatever there is available, give us medicine and oxygen gas when we’re growing old.

If you deprive us of our greatest assets and that is our daughters and son, P***** i** ka, I will kill you. Who supposed to take care of me? The priests? T*** i** Home for the Aged, there’s one in Davao, it’s for the dying.

The Home for the Aged in Davao is huge, and they have the largest rehab center. I have a 32-million facility there. Long before the sail, they said that I started to kill, it’s not a matter of killing it’s a matter–

You know, I took my oath of office… It doesn’t– the Constitution says there martial law, law and Order. It’s all here, nandito lang ‘yan sa kamay ko. My oath before God and country is to preserve the Filipino people period. I do not need martial law. [applause] I do not need to a suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. You destroy my country… you destroy the youth. I do not give a s*** if the priests would kneel down and pray to the heavens above.

I have a country to preserve and that is the Filipino nation. It has nothing to do with religion. [applause] When were you really true to your vocation? There are so many of you there. You preside masses every Saturdays and Sundays. The priests are rich but I never saw a rehab center built by them. Where did the people’s money go? [inaudible] while Sitoy implements private-public partnership – it’s a joint venture and effort.

It is your karma when your churches got destroyed. You know why God destroy the churches? To show you that you are not deserving of his mercy, totoo lang.

‘Tong si Tatad isa pa, halimaw. He forgot that he was the one who announced the 1081 declaring martial law, tapos you’re trying to redeem your character in this society by writing all sorts of things.

He said I went to China just because I have cancer and I’m being medicated. How can you be so stupid and a blatant liar? O sige nagpunta ako sa China, kasi tinanong ko ‘yung China, ‘saan ka, saan nagpatuli si Tatad?’ [laughter] Sabi niya dito, sa clinic diyan sa Hong Kong Avenue. Sabi ko, ‘samahan ninyo ako doon kay, ipa-repair ko itong akin, kay pokpok lang ito [laughter] Para linisin ba. Ikaw, doon ka pa nagpatuli sa China, yawa ka. Tatad… stop. Why are you so vehement in your–? opus dei ka… ‘yan opus dei nangaupus na mga deidei diha.

You have never done something. So why so much about love of God. Prioritize your people first. Ako, I don’t really care, I have a God but it’s not a God from like the others. God sa mga pari and Tatad’s. I have my own personal relations with God. I have this deep and abiding faith in God, that is really the supreme being of all the universe. [applause] Hindi ‘yung God mo na. P****** i** kayong mga Katoliko, yawa kayo.

Jesus Christ was nailed to a wooden cross. He was nailed, look at the cross in your necklaces, it’s gold, the chalice is also gold. God damn it. Stop it. Go back to the wooden [mugs?]. That’s what priests would usually do, if they don’t sermon, they have palaces. I suggest they should sell those, buy rice, and give it to the poor. If they won’t stop, they will be placed in jail for extortion [laughter].

You know why? T*** i**, I’m having colds already. [laughter] I want to cry because you perpetuated that idiotic, you’ll be burned in hell. Is there even a God who created hell? Why would he even send everyone to hell? And why would be a stupid God create hell for his creations? I can’t understand, when we were young and would still attend Friday masses in Ateneo, then every time the mass is done, or while we’re having a confession, they would be even holding our private parts. That is true. Ay, p****** i**, mga pari yawa.

One, two generations up three generations down sa Davao, look at your internet. Mark Falvey, he was the priest who was sued in L.A. for 25 million dollars and the Society of Jesus had to pay for that damages because of molestations.

The Americans would also stand up for their own, even when their knees would just be touched. Kaya let’s stop this because you are complicating the fight against drugs.

Nobody wants to kill, but every person involved in illegal drug activities would fight back. I have lost 32 soldiers fighting in Mindanao against drug people. A drug laboratory in Mindanao has two M-60 fighting as if there’s a war.

I have lost now 29 policemen ug extra judicial killing pa na ‘di wa untay namatay sa akong mga tao then I would have simply said ‘Basig nakatalikod nagtuwad nalibang, pusila’ kasi lumalaban talaga. There’s also this famous personality who said ‘what about the 7, 000?’

Eh what about the four million? Four million people reduced to slavery, may pang slaves gipalit na ‘to sa Middle East sa African slave markets because mautusan mo pang matrabaho, while the four million Filipinos involved in illegal drug activities are useless.

Wala na, it starts with a dysfunctional family where married couples would be separated. It hurts me when millions of Filipinos working in the Middle East or elsewhere, working their a** to death para lang maka-sweldo, and send money for their children just for them to go to school. P****** i** ninyong tanan.

They would even get raped there and would go home dead. And yet you do not take in to account the human sacrifice that they have to bear because they have children to feed and send to school.

Let me remind the priests. Compare now the millions when I took over I said ‘P***** i** I’ll kill you if you won’t surrender.’ Look at the mayors. Look at those boastful mayors, they have five police cops and five armies as their bodyguard, I am not the president. T*** i** ninyo.

Surrender by the hundreds of thousands. They would even blame me for that – hundreds died during my time as Davao City Mayor according to this certain policeman, totoo ‘yan g***. 23 years ago, hundreds lang? Kaya sa Maynila, kita mo, thousands kaagad. But I never mentioned any particular name nor attributed any activity to anyone.

My orders to the police and the military was very clear: Go out, hunt for them. Make them surrender so that you would know their connections and we can gather more evidence. But if they present a violent resistance, thereby placing your life in danger, p***** i** patayin mo kaysa mamatay kayo. That’s my order. There’s nothing illegal there.

Bakit ba kukulungin kung sabihin ko papatayin kita if you destroy my country? Why would you put me in prison? That is a legitimate statement of a President. I will kill you if you destroy the youth of my land because they are our assets. ‘Yun ‘yung ang magtake over kung matanda na tayo kay pobre ‘tang tanan. [applause] Hithit na pud human ani.

That’s why, to the people involved in illegal drug activities [inaudible]… Odicta, Albuera. You’ll have your time. Kaya ako totoo ha. I will tell you now that I called the mayors in the country, three groups per batch. I told them not to do a wrong move. P***** i** kayo. Huwag kayong magkamali. I’m already irritated.

I have six years to do it and I will kill you. Even if you are the son of– Wala akong pakialaman kung sino kang mayor ka, then I called the governors. Tanungin ninyo anong sinabi ko. Huwag kayong magkamali. Kay sa listahan… Give me.

This is the drug industry in the Philippines. Region 1, Judiciary, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Police, there are 6, 000 policeman involved in drugs right now. 40 percent of the total number of barangay captains in the entire country are into drugs and you will die.

It’s either you kill me or I’ll kill you. Ganon lang ‘yan eh. Pwede mo nga akong i-assassinate. Pasasabugin ko lang ‘yan, sabagay, everyone including Pangilinan will die. [laughter]

T***** huwag ninyong, huwag niyong sirain talaga ang bayan ko. The only way to make a… [inaudible] a country really is to be peaceful. If you are [inaudible] like Mindanao, ako sinasabi ko sa inyo ha from Mindanao, prangkahan ko lang kayo. Ako [inaudible] na man ko, my father is a Cebuano, from Danao.

I have been trying really to solve the problem for so long a time. I have lost so many soldiers, good men. During the Cotabato campaign, may isang class na sa PMA na naubos. Dalawa na siguro naiwan sa mistah nila. But if you do not try to makeup for something na ano–

You have to give federalism to them. Maski half of the country might survive with something else. Pag hindi magkagulo, there will never be peace in our land. Dili na man ko kabalik sa Danao. Unsa na man ang balikan nako didto na magbuhat na sad ko’g palti. [laughter] Niabot na baya sa Davao ang mga buang. Oh eh sige pahuli mo. Paarestuhin mo. Hatagi ra gud og ticket. P****** i** don’t go back.

Well anyway that’s my message to you. It’s not really very nice. I am not supposed to be nice also. [laughter] And there’s a message here, if I read the message, one and a half minute naman ako, without communicating anything at all to you about what’s really, what ails our problem? What ails our country and the problems that beset us?

Ako man gud, I do not deliver speeches that I’ve grown tired of reading. Puros shivel, puro “First I’d like to thank the people of Cebu for giving me unprecedented majority in the last election, around 1.4 million votes.” Hay, salamat.[laughter] If I got lost here, I will burn that high bridge. [laughter] [inaudible] Chairman Pangilinan [inaudible], don’t believe the [inaudible]. [laughter] But maybe, maybe in the years to come we’d see about a nation with bridges. Connect- connect na lang. For short the sense is. But far and between the wide expanse of the sea would take a generation.

But hopefully, ang unang mularga with islands of bridges would really be the Visayas. [applause] If you can’t stop yourself from using illegal drugs, it’s okay because bridges are known to be the refuge of the desperate. [laughter] Thank God there’s none at Davao – Bankerohan Bridge.

If you want to end the killings, stop using drugs immediately. Guide your sons and daughters not to end up using illegal drugs. [applause] Stop it. All the priests have to do is to convince the guys. Go around and find out who are connected with drugs. I know you can do it. You have plenty of money from your collection.

That’s I am committed to stop drugs before I go out which means to say, Father, Monsignor, Bishop, which means to say marami pang patayan ‘to. Kasi lumalaban talaga ‘yan.

It will not end tomorrow. For as long as there is a drug pusher and a drug lord, hindi ko pwedeng… Do not give me that s*** about, ‘itong si Duterte, he goes only for the poor, mahirap.’

What ‘anti-poor?” They’re earning huge amount of money in the industry. It won’t be a problem if nobody will sell drugs because they won’t be distributed and get stuck in the warehouse.

But if there are suppliers and sellers, you belong to an apparatus. You are part of an organization. So it does not really matter to me at all, if you are the biggest drug distributor or the poorest person here in Cordova, you’re just destroying your fellow countrymen. That’s what I am clarifying to you.

Daghang salamat. ●