President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, March 9 called on local chief executives to ensure that terrorism will not spin out of control in Mindanao.
In a meeting with local chief executives in Mindanao at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City, the President expressed his concern that terrorism might be hard to control in Mindanao and asked the help of the local chief executives to thwart it.
“So that’s why I called for you because kayo lang ang pwede talagang – to prevent it from spinning out of control,” Duterte said.
The President said local chief executives should take advantage of having the police and the military in helping thwart terrorism in Mindanao.
“If you would just insist, tutal nandiyan na rin ‘yung pulis sa inyo and you can ask the military commanders to pitch in for help if needed, why don’t you just also take advantage,” Duterte said.
As for his administration’s campaign against illegal drugs, the President warned that local chief executives should not coddle drug lords.
“Huwag ninyong protektahan ang mga durugista, walang mangyari sa inyo niyan. Mag-away lang tayo. I will deprive you of the police. Kukunin ko ‘yung supervision at authority ninyo over the police and I will just ask the military to go in and impose order,” Duterte said.
President Duterte said in the same speech that the tobacco company, Mighty Corp., would have to pay double its tax liabilities from 1.5 billion to 3 billion pesos.
“Itong smuggler ng… Eh nabigla ako ng tanong, ‘What do you intend to do?’ Sabi ko, o sige. Ang sa batas kasi, ang tax evasion cases o tax liability for that matter, they’re the same terminology, can be compromised. The law allows an areglo, kagaya ng ibang crimes,” Duterte said.
“Ang sabi ng [Department of] Finance, it’s about 1.5 ang nilugi mo sa gobyerno. Sabi ng mga negosyo, ‘Medyo mababa ‘yun, Mayor,’ Pero sabi ko, “’Okay, doblado na lang.’ I will just consider the fake stamps as part of the process of evading the taxes,” he said.
Duterte said that out of the three billion pesos, Mighty Corp. should give one billion each to the hospitals in Basilan, in Jolo, Sulu, and in Mary Johnston Hospital in Tondo, Manila.
“Sabi ng mga negosyante diyan, kulang ‘yun kasi ang interest. Sabi ko, five billion siguro but depende na lang kay Faeldon, Dulay pati Dominguez,” he said.
The President explained that it would be better if the owner of Mighty Corp. would just pay the taxes doubly than send him to prison.
“He’s of no use to me. I mean, pa-presuhin mo ‘yan, he will just enjoy the privileges of a… As if you are a living out… Makahanap talaga ang pera ng paraan for you eh,” Duterte said
“So I do not think he will be of use to me and to the Republic of the Philippines and the people of the Philippines if he goes inside. He will just go there and enjoy his time so isip-isip ko, pera-pera na lang ito. Tutal niloko mo ako, pabayarin kita,” he said. ###PND
