Speech of President Rodrigo Duterte at the Negosyo para sa Kapayapaan sa Sulu; Christmas Townhall with the President
Rizal Hall, Malacañan Palace
19 December 2016
 
Kindly sit down.

I have a prepared speech here, two pages. But this kind of thing would not inspire me tonight if I do not give you my sentimiyento ko sa buhay.

You know, when I was studying and lived in a dormitory and every time we get our key from the pigeon hole, I looked at that statement, it states there, “I only pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to my fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again.”

Ayon ang, hanggang ngayon, na-memorize ko kasi araw-araw kami. Every time you get a message you go to the desk. So I’m staying just beside City Hall, and it was a great dorm. Marami kami doon halu-halo, 400 of us. So more or less, you begin to interact with a lot of people, different religions and different tribes. So I — maybe that was why I started my politics because I’m fond with just getting to know you and making friends.

Pero ‘nung sa eleksyon, well, of course, I’ve been mayor of the city of Davao for 23 years. That is why I’d more or less know about governance. But I hold it as an article of faith that no progress or development can come to a country or city unless there is law and order.

Just after the evolution of Cory, there was already lawlessness in Mindanao and in Davao and… Well, I thought that maybe if I ran, I could improve the situation of my city where I grew up.

So ‘nung na-Presidente ako and I promised this: one, that there will be no corruption. And if it is there, then baka ginusto mo, you might want it. Two, is that I have to stop drugs in this country. Third, is criminality. Because these are the three things that would really kill a nation. Fourth, is I leave to the economic managers, of course, just create the environment where they can thrive peacefully and with the least intervention of government.

As a matter of fact, ayaw kong makialam sa mga negosyo. For one thing or another, a lot of reasons – harassment — that’s why I said to this government na kayong, those of you who are joining me, kindly be reminded of my words.

So a lot of things have happened our will of late and to think I am just about how many months in the office, I have fired almost 92 people from the regulatory bodies — LTFRB, lahat ‘yan and we have an impasse with the people of the ERC because they have refused to step down.

You know, ako ‘yung government worker. I am in charge of protecting public interest. Ngayon, how can I trust you when you are already there, fixing the rates of the electricity that the people use? How can I be sure now that we are not shortchanged, that the public is suffering actually because of these rates? I don’t mind if it’s really a finding that is factual and true, wala akong problema diyan. But if I suspect that you there on the take, eh you better resign.

Hindi tayo magkakaintindihan diyan eh. Then, hindi harassment, but I would withhold the money or request Congress to dissolve the regulatory board. Hindi ako pwedeng ganun kasi sa awa ng Diyos, wala naman akong pinipili.

You know, I was able to survive on a shoestring budget and I’m a public official for 40 years. We can survive with our salaries here, much bigger. Ako about, I get 30 — 130,000. Pero kulang talaga because I have two families to support [laughter].

One is that I got an annulment from the first, my first wife. So itong sila mayor pati si ano. Itong isa naman, isa lang. Pero talagang kulang. Sasabihin ko sa inyo ang totoo ha. Makinig kayo, ma’am, tumingin ka sakin, ayaw mong tumingin sa akin eh. [laughter]

You know, kung magtanong ka kung maligaya ako, totohanan talaga ‘to. I am talking — live ‘to eh all throughout the country.

I never expected really to win I was there for just the challenge of it. But when I was looking at the other candidates, nobody was talking about Mindanao. The serious problem actually is Mindanao because if we don’t handle it very carefully, this country will end up dismembered. Maniwala kayo sa akin.

Kaya sinabi ko kay Sakur, you have to finish this. Sabi ko, good luck. Sabi ni Sakur, ‘pag nahulog itong helicopter na ito, tapos na ang lahat, magkakaproblema na tayo.’

Well, because I said I was able to talk to Misuari. Although he’s outside of the country, he’s really taking stock of everything. Okay, he’s willing to talk to us. The MI, we’re having the first round officially next year, with Jesus Dureza here, Secretary sa Peace Process. At I hope, I said that before the year ends, something concrete and positive will come out.

And ito ang gusto kong sabihin sa bayan: You have to heed us people, guys from Mindanao because we are telling you the truth, you have to really transform this country.

One of a unitary type because there’s so much control is like the imperial throne because down the line, to the last treasurer or to the last assessor comes from Malacañan or from the Civil Service or whoever you wants — I get to get appointed. Kailangan mo lahat na pati yung pera namin and the fact is talagang it is not divided equally.
Of course, we are not as prosperous as the other places of the Philippines but still we’re taxpayers and we’re contributing a lot. Remember that 54 percent, lahat ng mga exporter, 54 percent of the total export earnings of this country comes from Mindanao. So ‘pag ka ganun —

Then every election meron dito, a favored few. And they elect the president in this — they meet in one of — four of them, five. So mahirap ‘yan.

Because in the system, no fault for theirs but, I mean, you decide because nandito lahat eh and it cannot last long, not forever, I suppose.

Maniwala kayo kasi ‘pag hindi, talagang there will never be an end to violence there. Why? I’ll tell you what’s the secret. How to understand it?

Actually they started, they are not playing rebels just rebels because they just want to fight. Tatanong ka, ano ba yan sila, bakit gustong patayan lahat?

You know, and even the scholars of the Moro. This is actually a Moro nationalism. People of Mindanao, of Muslim faith are really called Moro. Ito sila ang nauna sa Mindanao because 100 years before Magellan landed in Leyte, bringing with him the religion, Christianity, Sulu or — and Mindanao were already converted to Islam ahead by 100 years.

So with Magellan forced his way into the country and subdued us. They got a nice place because they found in Mindanao, just like the Americans, that there was no typhoon.

That fact of being knowledgeable in the wind currents, alam na nila noon kasi walang bagyo dito sa Mindanao. That is why the… When it was opened by the Americans, go to Mindanao because it is the land of promise, actually it was just sloganeering.

Before, dito kasi ang Bureau of Lands, centuries ago. And the huge map of the Philippines was here and they divided Mindanao and I cannot blame them because there were no people at that time. ‘Yung ditong mga Tagalog ang nabigyan. ‘Pare, meron doon. We are trying to divide Mindanao. You might want a 24 hour’ – ‘di ba 24 hour ‘yung seven homestead? Those of — pati yung Torrens title was introduced by the Americans.

Now, early on they wanted to develop the Americans but they could not find the workers because the Moro would not want to work for the Americans who were Caucasians. And rightly so, the Moro really said that you are invading my country. And so they revolted against the Spaniards. The most that they could do ‘yung, was really ‘yung Spaniards to build the, or built the Fort Pilar to stop the inroads of the missionaries coming from Malaysia, Indonesia going up to Mindanao. Iyon ang nangyari.

So they fought the Spaniards, they fought the Americans and they are fighting us. Why? Because of this nationalism. Kanila itong Mindanao pati Sulu. Walang Kristiyanos noon. Everybody – anak o ano ka — anak ka ng whether the Moro of Davao is Kalagan, Kagan, Sama, Jolohano, Tausug, Maguindanao, Iranun, those were the guys. They’re all Muslims.

So now, we are in a bind because here is the Philippines, here is Mindanao, the Christians lording it over the Muslim populations kasi kokonti lang. And even in my city it’s about 17, but we cannot really blame them. And so we have to ask for an arrangement where we can live peacefully and live comfortably. So how do we get it? You listen to them.

Now there’s a — the barest minimum for Misuari, Murad of the MILF and the rest is really federalism. Then itong mga violent groups, the Maute and itong si mga Abu Sayyaf, we’ll just have to talk or if it is really a problem also of the leaders of the Moro. But at least we give them the hope. Importante ‘yan eh. You give them hope so that when we go to federalism, it is gonna be something like this.

Ngayon kasi, mayor or president, yun. Mayor, governor, ito yung, these are the powers — one, two three, four. Iyong 5,6,7 wala diyan na nakalagay. Those powers residual goes to the national, DILG.

Ang federal hindi. These are the powers of the federal setup, presidente. Ang wala diyan goes down. That is what you call devolution in its highest form. So may control sila — ‘wag mong pakialaman eh lupa nila ‘yan eh.

So if you have to contract with somebody else, let the foreigners in as long as there’s a safeguard on everything, taxes and all, wala tayong problema.

Ngayon, they say that Duterte is pushing for the federalism because he wanted to stay in power beyond six years. Ladies and gentlemen, may I give you my word of honor, if they can craft, because they have to provide for a strong president because of the distribution of the islands, delikado ka kung —a parliament just like the British, when it they were first struck with the violent, ‘yung double decker nila sumabog. It’s a consensual body. Eh ang ano nila, hindi pa malaman kung ano. But you know, you have strong presidential like France.

You can have a parliament but reserved some powers although very few to call for an election, to dissolve the parliament, to be the chief, commander-in-chief of all the armed forces.
Ibigay mo lang ‘yan sa Presidente, lima, anim, pito, ang lahat doon na sa baba. Huwag mong pakialaman. Let them enjoy the resources of their land.

Much of this have been taken over by us. Kaya mga Kristiyanos, mga negosyante. They own so much of the land but they are marginalized and they are into enclaves. They suppress a barangay here, a barangay there. But we have to change that, otherwise, if we do not go with the changing times, it will overtake us and nothing will happen to this country.

Now, the question I said of I am trying to figure out how to…Me? If you can craft the federal type government next year and submit it to the people for ratification, whether you really— and if it passes the verdict of the people, I am going to step down. Next year tapos ‘yan lahat, tapos na ako, I give you my word, my guarantee that it will happen.

Baba na ako, para walang masabi ‘yung tao na, ‘Ah, Duterte…’ If you do not believe me, hindi ka talaga bilib sa akin. [laughter] Maski anuhin mo. [applause]

Actually, pero kung magandang babae ka, hindi kita hintuan. [laughter] Kung hindi mo ako sagutin. ‘Ma’am, pag hindi mo… patayin kita.’ [laughter]

So ganon. I leave you that message for Mindanao. It’s actually a Moro nationalism. Eh ‘yan ‘yung mga abusador, as they fringes of a violent world. They are not really… These are not really the activities — the core of the problem. The core of the problem is we have to have a balance here.

The fact that they are willing to go federal, it means to say that they will accept us. That they will accept…Hindi ako, kasi ako mestizo ako eh.

I’m half Chinese, half ano ko. Maranao ang lola ko. But Visayan ‘yung tatay ko, Cebu. Pero, I’m giving you… It’s not an ambition. Wala akong ambition diyan. Really if you ask me, sabihin ko nga e, may I pour out itong sentimiyento.

You think that it’s make me happy — that are you happy? Ayan si [Mer?], she was with me for the last 30 years. Siya ‘yung sa Davao. Ambisyosa ako, sabi ko na, am I happy with this?

I will answer you this, hindi ko kailangan ang trabahong ito. I will repeat: Hindi ko kailangan ang trabahong ito.

So that you fix a new Constitution, a new set up, make the Moro happy. And if it’s a question of a people making a doubt or a — because I am there. ‘Di ako ganon.

On the third year, the half of my term of six years, I’ll step down. Inyo na, kung sino ‘yung presidente. Walang problema ‘yan.

Now, sa drugs. It’s an election promise. Aside from my experience as 40 years as a congressman and vice mayor, mayor ng Davao City.

Alam mo, fiscal ako. That makes up the 40 years in government service. Fiscal ako, alam ko ang takbo, whether it’s really on trial, mabili mo eh. You can buy the policeman, some are corrupt to the core, prosecutors, judges, and even the prison facility.

You can operate your shabu operation inside despite na merong nilagay na jammer. So nandiyan ka na sa loob ng presohan, then you are still f***** us. P****** i**. Nasaan ‘yung?

Ito marami rin ito pero, marami itong…Itong nagdadala, maraming pag-ibig ‘to. [laughter]

Look at it. General Loot. Statements of Assets and Liabilities, 100 million. Kasi matiyaga daw siyang negosyante. Ang ulol, bakakun pa, mayor ng…

You know ladies and gentlemen, this is the drug industry of the Philippines. Ayan mga pangalan. Nandito, pulis, prosecutor, barangay captains marami, about 2,000 plus. They have contaminated the government for so long a time. We just did not realize it. Hindi natin alam eh. Susmaryosep.

Elected public official. Ito babae pangalan nito eh. Pero ito o, barangay captain, barangay captain, barangay captain, barangay captain, barang…Isauli ko na ito sa iyo, mag-init lang ulo ko. [laughter]
Salamat ha? Aide ko ‘yan. Taga-Baguio ‘yan. [applause] Minsan marami mag-sabi, ‘maganda lagi ‘yung aide mo’. Sabi ko, ‘g***. Hindi ako nag-ano ng subordinate ko.’ [laughter] I don’t…That’s not my habit.

Ito ngayon ang human rights. Well, perfectly all right to criticize me. The first survey during the time of General Santiago, PDEA, pegged it at three million.

During my time, I’m still counting. Hindi ko pa na-release because I’m hitting the 900,000 mark. I know that I will breach that number before the year ends to another one million.

So dito muna tayo sa three million. Nandiyan na ‘yan. Itong 100—itong 1,000. Sabi ko when I became President, you stop it or I’ll kill you. Do not destroy my country. Do not destroy the young because you will deprive us of a generation of Filipinos. You do that, I will kill you.

Here comes now the human rights. Eh maraming patay. Actually, surprise of all surprises, we did not begin to operate until after I was two months in the office.

If you’ll try to recall, weeks before I assumed the office, there were already many killings and right after I was elected. And yet we were not about to start anything. Sabi ko, pag-aralan natin ang terrain.

Because sa Davao, alam ko, it was a serious… I never thought na ‘nong kung ano, when I started to squeeze everybody, to my horror, hundreds of thousands of Filipinos were lining, the barangay hall, sa police, mag-surrender and it has reached the 900 million.

If you are a President of a country with four million shabu addicts. And to think that if you are into that practice, it’s the West who made that study, that say that shabu user for over a year would shrink his brain and he is permanently destroyed. No hope of rehabilitation.

So how many of this four million now are really totally disabled? And how many are still maybe sane enough to be cured?

Kaya ako nagwawala. That is why there’s a rage inside me. Can you possibly do it? By what right do you have in this universe, to destroy my daughter or my son na wala naman akong ginawa sa’yo? Especially those working in the Middle East, working their ass to death. ‘Yung isa nasa Qatar ang asawa, ‘yung asawa niya nasa Saudi. They keep on sending money. Working to no end only to find out that the son has been contaminated with shabu and the daughter is also an addict.

So papano ‘yan? Where is…Forget about the laws. By what right do you have to do that? Anong kasalan ng nanay pati tatay na gawain mo sa isang anak nila?

Kaya ako, kung ako ang tatay, anak ng…Anak ng p******* i** papatayin talaga kita, honestly. Sus.
Papaano ‘yang ano…Tapos itong human rights, well, it is good, what I said, they were already crying when it was not our job to do it, because I said not now, we have to study the terrain.

And, you have this Odicta, who were holding the Western Visayas. Mag-asawa. Both husband and wife were shot down in the pier. And we keep on coming about human rights, human rights.
I said, you know, I did not have the money eh. I entered midterm. Wala akong pera. So I just stood there swallowing the — mga takot nila… Duterte. And came these foreigners. ‘You know, Mr. Duterte, I will hail you to the International Criminal Court.’

I’m about to raise the finger, about to give the dirty finger to you. You do not know. Human rights, genocide is for the race or religion or a class of persons.

You dumb idiots. The law does not refer or whatever that law is, it does not refer to criminals.

C’mon man. Shut up. Akala ko ba graduate ka ng Oxford, mga Cambridge, mga Harvard. Tala-tala pala kayo eh. Mabuti pa ako dito local lang. [laughter]

I mean if it is not [applause]…If it is not a crime in my country, to say, if you destroy my country, I will kill you. If it is not a crime to state bluntly to you, do not deprive us of the young of the next generation. It is not a crime to say that, who are you stupid fool to say that to me?

‘Yung mga EU, mga abugado nila. That this mayor has been heard openly to kill criminals. God. Shut up.

Do your worse. Wala akong pakialam sa inyo. And this rapporteur, threatening to come. Sabi ko, come, and said she wants a one-on-one meeting, sabi ko ‘no’. You do it in public. I’ll tell you where your garbage comes from. Iyong babae, come.

I’ll place a table there, small table and face-to-face. Let the Filipino here it. If it is a crime eh ‘di sige. Tanong ko lang naman sa kanya. Well, you came here with facts, factual, or you are here to confront me with a garbage? I will just simply say, who was my 50th victim? What is her name? And how old was she? And where did this happen?

So, 5,000. So ‘yung ika 5,000 sino iyon? Anong pangalan niya? Gaga ka pala eh. Ganoon lang ako. I tend to be you know I am. Basta pinikon mo ako. I meet to you that kind of… I come from a level of civilization na hindi naman masyadong ano. Eh probinsiyano lang nga ako eh.

I just came from a province. Though I am part of the establishment because of being a lawyer but I came in from the cold. I was not the one pareha nito kilala lahat. And yet I won. So I said what is this? I asked my wife. There’s something there that, you know.

You got a four million. Ulitin ko. Dalawa lang presidente ko. Si Imee Marcos — already from Mindanao. And she supported me. And I won in her province by almost 100,000. And only because she was once upon a time the love of my life. [laughter]

Eh hindi ko alam itong life chapter chapter pala ito. Hindi talaga life na totoo. [applause]

That’s what I’ve said, God must have…So that’s it. It will continue ang criminality. Itong mga kidnappers dito sa Malacañan. Because shabu is on the way down. It’s a slowing down a bit. Iyong iba are back into the business of kidnapping mostly Chinese.

What is really very despicable, hingian nila ng ransom tapos patayin pa nila. Do you think that I’m happy? Basta you know, you do your thing, I do my thing. If we meet in one corner, pasensiya. Ganon ang Pilipino eh.

Now, I am trying…Kasi hindi… I already. I am serious asking I can ever be. Kayong mga foreigners diyan, you are better off going to the communities telling them stop it because you’ll lose not only your pants but your life.

Ang sa akin you want the killings stop? Tell the shabu producer and runners, ‘stop shabu and there will be peace in the land.’

You continue with shabu. I will not. Until the last pusher I said is out of the streets. Until the last drug lord is killed, it will last ‘till the end of my term of six years kung nandiyan ako.

If I have to resign or step down or if I am assassinated, go ahead. Ousted, impeached, go ahead. As long as the people would know that I give up the presidency not because of corruption because I was desperate in trying to help my country preserve its…[applause]

Simple as that. I have no plans of mine, personal? Wala na. If you ask me if I’m happy, extra happy to be president? I’ll answer you – I do not need it.

And so for the businessman, all you have to do is to assert. If the son of a b*** will tell you demanding money, sampalin mo and make an appointment with me to Bong Go. And I will take care of them. Whoever it is.

I fired the other day two commissioners of the immigration and to tell you they were my fraternity brothers. So talagang — eh wala akong magawa eh. [applause] May usapan tayo dito. Huwag na kayong magpunta ng Ombudsman diretso kayo sa akin.

Totoo, honestly, patawag ko dito. Sipain ko iyan sa harap mo. Then I will demand for the resignation. ‘Pag hindi I will treat you as a drug pusher also. [laughter] Totoo. Ganon na lang. Ganon naman talaga ang style ko rin sa Davao.

You know Davao is hitting nine. The highest growth in the Philippines, nine. Why? Because Davao is peaceful. It bloomed flower to the something really big. There is a shrine there, it’s at the mountain actually. Then if you are there in the middle then you can look at your right side and it would be something like the west and the east dito kita mo ang development ng Davao. So everybody is happy. And there is no. There is enough job there. You cannot find anymore. Iyong because a plumber has to be a plumber. You cannot be a carpenter. Or the carpenter can do this the carpentry works. Most of our skilled are in…

You know what they say when I go there, ‘mayor, we are just hoping and praying that some day if you can fix our country that we can go home and work there and be with our childen.’

Every I hear those words. Every time magtake-off ako galing Laos, Vietnam, for if not for the so many guys there sa eroplano, gusto kong umiyak. Gusto kong umiyak. Makikita ko back home I have to face the problem of law and order, drugs, Abu Sayyaf, and Maute. And they were trying to mount a revolution there. And I said, be careful because if they lose the land mass, the Aleppo or the Mosul and their desired proclamation of a caliphate — nasabi ko na ba that would be Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines and Brunei.

Then there’s gonna be real trouble for this country. I hope it would not reach that but ISIS is very dangerous. I have a mixed blood but I cannot condone their barbaric. You know, if you have to kill a person, you do not have to do that.

You should be inspired by the song “Mona Lisa”. They just lie there and they die there. No need for you to make an exhibit about cutting the head of a poor guy.

So that’s my friends are, actually my…Thank you for listening to my outpouring of a what… [applause]

And were it not for a very receptive — pero ‘yung totoo, from the heart. If you do not agree with me fine, I will not take it against you. But do not engage me in like question of law. I should know what I’m doing, I never declared I said, I never declared police punitive action.

Right on start I says, I’m going to wage a war because the casualty now is four million. Do I need another year and be afraid of human rights and all of these things? And you are…Isang ito pang gago na mamatay. Assuming na ano pinatay ‘yan. Sabi ko assuming it to be true, but I said I believe in the version of the police because the police is under me and the justice department is also is under me.

If I really wanted to cover up, all I have to do is to say to the agents of the NBI, which is under the Justice department, to just follow the theory of the police. They are all theories, no direct witnesses. I said I just file the case. But I will not, I will not for the—if it, if it they said proven to me after that investigation report I’ll wait to read it, that they followed my orders go out arrest them. But if they do not are surrender and they present a violent resistance putting in jeopardy the life of the lawman, shoot the idiot. That is my order. And if you get charge in court, tell the judge, I will appear there. It is my sole singular criminal responsibility not theirs. They are just following orders.

If it’s really consider the crime say you, I destroy you, then go ahead. But it is not in the Revised Penal Code or nowhere in the books of penal statutes of ours. So I said, Republic of the Philippines go for the federal type maybe a not so broad one. You the United States were here, they were lord it over for 50 years and live up with the fat of the land. But there they went out, it’s still, it was still a unitary type. And to hear them say, ‘we will cut your aid if these things happen again.’ Go on, shut up, shut up.

I do not need your assistance, challenge —Millennium Challenge, 400 million? China is going to release to me 50 billion, go home, I do not need your aid.

You know, you should careful with Orientals. They just don’t know how to treat themselves. When you tie the…When there is a, you say we will not give you because of this. You are pictured, it is a Visayan idiom, I don’t know if you can understand “patay gutom”. Patay gutom is a your dead because your hungry. We don’t care if you are dead because your—of starvation. It’s actually is slur. Do not…If you are dealing with Asians with due respect to the Ambassador of United States. You are dealing with Asians be careful of your language. You could not do that to the Japanese and to the Koreans and to the…They feel insulted.

Why do have to say, ‘we will cut your aid.’ Just say outright, please stop or this…We are members of the United Nations, correct? Okay. You guys put your complaint there for the violations of the lost souls.

Then whatever happens there, the Human Rights Commission can conduct an investigation. Then if there is — our finding, then go ahead and present it to plenary and then they come to me and say confront me, what is this. But just to say, you come to here to investigate me and to talk to me, no. I my transactions, I do not want dealings here. I do not want to talk about business. There’s the undersecretary of Trade, and there’s other secretary, you go them. No I have to review the papers of every— almost everyday.

I… It’s actually at the end of the day, I would say to you, it is dignity. Just because there are human rights violations, you do not say that you will never have the aids. We do not need it.

Bakit sabihin mo pa? ‘Mr. Duterte, if this thing continues, you’ll lose the assistance.’ It is actually an insult. So I hope that we can understand each other here and you guys.

And there will never be a time that I will allow government people to go into your pockets. That’s why I ordered the arrest of Jack Lam. I really not know what was the case against him but he was talking as if he was everybody in government was in his pocket.

And so I called Bong, ‘arrest him’. ‘For what?’ ‘For whatever’ [laughter] Good that he was able to fly out or he will rot in jail. And they said, ‘there is no charge’. ‘No, never mind. You arrest him.’ God.

And may I say also, sorry for my bad words. I was not disciplined enough by my father and mother [laughter and applause] But do not consider me…I’ll rehash it, huwag na tayong….

Let us not kid each other. I am a worker of government. I never said a word about me as President.

You have never heard me say, well as President, I would say as a worker of this government. But ‘yung sabihin mo, elected as President, I have to do this because I have to protect the Filipino. I have to preserve the country. It’s actually a self-preservation thing. It does not need any Constitution to say to protect your people.

Maraming salamat po.