PRESIDENT DUTERTE: I only have — I only have one announcement outside. ‘Yung ano — I’m offering one million for the leader of the bandits who killed the four policemen sa Negros.

Q: Dead or alive?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Yeah. Alam mo, for all the years I’ve been mayor of Davao City, I’ve gone to the mountains several times to retrieve POWs or policemen or army men or military who were captured by the NPA.

Doon sa Mindanao, ni isang — ni isang kagat ng lamok wala. Dito, pinaghahampas nila ang katawan. There’s all — all over the body may traumatic blows eh. Hematomas and all. At ‘yung pinakialaman nila ‘yung parang — parang pinatay nila sa leeg.

Q: Sir, dead or alive ‘yon or — ‘yung reward?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Mas gusto kong patay sila. Kung patay sila, magdagdag pa ako ng 300. So it’s one million three hundred. Just bring me the head of that idiot leader there. One million. No questions asked.

All he has to do is give a little information or magpatay sila ng kung sino-sino. Basta one million ako. Kasi masama ang loob ko kung bakit ganun.

For all of the years, I said, I’ve been mayor in Davao. And for the many times that I went to the mountains to retrieve captured soldiers and policemen, ni wala akong nakita ni isang trauma sa ano.

Ito dito, pinatay nila, pinaghampas-hampas nila at ginulgol ‘yung leeg. Kaya galit ako sa mga p***** i**** ‘yan.

***

Q: Good evening, Mr. President. I’d like to ask about your statement earlier talking about your proposal for a midnight liquor ban. Can you expound on that a little bit more? Are you serious? How serious are you about that? Is this something you really want to happen nationwide and how soon?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: What is that again?

Q: Sir, ‘yung sinabi niyo po by 12 midnight, gusto ninyo wala ng…

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Yeah.

Q: How serious are you about that?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: I am.

Q: Are you going to issue an executive order if wala pa pong…?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: No, I think if Congress would legislate on it. But I do not think it is a popular move because it will affect adversely businesses that operate during nighttime.

But for a small city like Davao, parang nagustuhan na kasi ng mga tao. But in other countries, in other states, 12 o’clock ang ano talaga — sarado.

Q: So are you going to issue an EO — executive order for that?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: No, no. I was just suggesting. I’d like to — Congress to ponder on it and maybe sleep on it and if they want. But it can improve tremendously the quality of life. Stop drinking at almost 11, then you go home.

Overall, by experience that it will do good. But I said, it would be at the expense of a reduced income for those who operate nightclubs, clubs, discos during nighttime.

Q: Okay. Sir, many were hoping for you to discuss the Security of Tenure Bill which is we believe has already been transmitted to your office. It’s — it will lapse into law in, I think, this week, sir. Ano na po ang nangyari doon?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Pinag-aralan namin mismo. I have… I have to confer with a lot of people affected. You know, it — this is a — two to tango ‘to eh. So it would affect the employers and of course it would also greatly favor the workers. It’s a catch-22 for me.

Q: Are you inclined to sign it sir? Or veto some provisions?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Maybe. It could go both. But…

Q: It could go both sir, what do you mean?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Yeah. I mean I can veto it and I can sign it or allow it to lapse into law.

Q: Okay. Thank you, sir.

Q: Good evening, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Yes, ma’am.

Q: May we know if why there is no mention of Charter change in your SONA po?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: It is not the proper time to be discussing it ngayon, now. It’s better left in conferences that are not allowed to be open to the public.

Kasi ‘pag isang provision to one another, magulo eh. Sa isang provision lang if it’s — there are a lot of complaints. A lot of pros and cons. Mahilo ka.

So better, you just talk it among yourselves and present it to the public ano na, ‘yung package na — completed.

Q: But sir, are you still pushing for federalism, sir?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Yes, but I said there are things which I cannot mention now. Federalism is good but there are certain things that you have to be very clear.

One is that it devolves a lot of authority to the local governments, regional. It must be something like, the president — not I. I suppose that it would come after me. But it has to have a strong president to put together the country.

Kasi ang federal, it’s a very loose structure na eh. One has a lot of power locally. So the president will have to have to devise it. Until such time that we have perfected it, there has to be a strong president with the same powers now.

Pero kung ako, I’m out of it because I think that it will pass beyond my time.

Q: Okay, sir. Sir, on Land Bank, sir, just one last question, sir. What exactly — what exactly do you want to be reconfigured in Land Bank, sir? Given that you said, that they focused too much…

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Look…

Q: …on commercial transactions and not on agricultural endeavors.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: It’s called Land Bank. Primarily, it was a bank intended to serve people who are connected with lands, whether owners or tenants.

So ‘yang land reform na ‘yan, nandiyan na — most of it. I’m going to complete the land reform whether the land owners like it or not because there are still tenants who are not in possession but the owners are still — the owners of the land control the — the produce and everything.

So I’m serving notice that I have to implement the law. The law is the law. So ‘yung mga tenants na hindi pa nailagay in possession must be placed there as beneficiaries.

Second, itong Land Bank, as the word says, it was really originally or maybe crafted to serve enterprises or whatever there is banking needs of the people who cannot — who can barely negotiate with a bank.

Ngayon, isa dito ‘yung mga awardees ng — beneficiaries na may mga ibinigay na sa kanila, cannot be accepted as collateral. Kasi takot nga hindi nga makabayad tapos hindi mo naman makuha ‘yung pera mo. Well, that is another thing.

The fact is that they must participate in the — kagaya ng… It’s a — primarily, it should be the duty of the DILG, na to create cooperatives again pareho kay panahon ni Marcos and for the Land Bank to go there to the mountains.

Hindi naman kailangan dalhin ‘yung pera eh. They can have loans then they can get the fertilizers, the seedlings, the — whatever. Pero they have to serve primarily the people. Kaya nga tinawag ng Land Bank eh. I suppose that was what really what was intended by the lawmakers at that time.

Q: Thank you po.

Q: Sir, good evening. Sir, you said earlier that we will stop those who fish in our EEZ in due time. Sir, may we know how your — can you give a timetable on due time and when will we know that it is the due time to stop those who are fishing from our EEZ?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Are you referring to the…?

Q: The Chinese, sir.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Well, the one is — actually naghihintay ako pagka — when they start to dig the oil. Mahirap ‘yan eh.

So we are a claimant, they are a claimant, so we’ll have to say, “Look, do not forget me.” And I would insist that as the owner, though conflicting with your stand, we also have — must have a share of the resources.

Second is huwag muna ngayon. That’s the first. The second is when… I said when I — during my term. Last ko na lang ‘yan. But maybe on the second or the first term of my last year, God willing, if I’m still alive.

‘Yan ang una, ‘yung paunahan. So the one that was bruited about was a sharing of 60-40. And perhaps because they are being extra generous or just parleying goodwill. Okay na sa akin ‘yan.

We do not have the resources. We do not have the capital to invest in digging oil. It’s so expensive. It can only be done by a huge capital outlay, which we cannot afford.

Q: Okay, sir. Thank you, sir.

— END —