PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE’S SPEECH
DURING THE NATIONAL CONVENTIONOF THE PHILIPPINE
ASSOCIATION OF WATER DISTRICTS
SMX Convention Center, SM Lanang Premier, J.P. Laurel Avenue
Lanang, Davao City
February 2, 2017
Salamat po. Kindly sit down.
There’s always a prepared speech for me anywhere I go, maski nasa kabaranggayan. Parang buang.(laughter)
Sa bukid na— You know, I’m not really up to it actually, reading speeches. But I would just like to—for example, maybe, touch on the matters that would affect the entire water system in our country.
But before that, there are persons to be addressed, as usual: Mr. Eduardo Bangayan, the convention chairman; Mr. Renato Mercado, the chairman of the Philippine Associations of Water Districts, Metro Cebu Water District; Mrs. Alma Abrasaldo, President of the Philippine Associations of Water Districts; Mr. Mario Villasan, Secretary of the Philippines Associations; mga kasama ko sa gobyerno, mga kababayan ko.
There is a need to actually— What’s more important to be discussed here is the need to rationalize the whole system of— a gamut of procedures and jurisdiction, parang overlapping. Who givestheauthority to what and whose final judgment is it that we follow?
In the city of Davao, there is the water code passed by the City Council during the time of my— during the incumbency of my daughter, the first time. She would insist on it and, well, there was this attempt to reconfigure the river of— I think, one of the tributaries that comes out of Tamugan.
She stood her ground and hindi talaga pumayag si Inday na maggawa ng bago. I don’t know what they were— what were they up to but I think, it’s a big business.
Now, today, I have read in the newspapers that Secretary Gina Lopez cancelled about seven of the big mining firms in the country.
You know, I support her. Andtherewas never a time that I called her to slow down a little bit because on one hand is the strict implementation of the mining laws. She’s so passionate about—not about the mining laws but about the little men on the land tilling. And she’s very adamant—today she’sinsisting on the closure of so many. And I support her.
Shehasthe pro-people, pro-poor policies that I said, when I took her in, “You can have your way, just be fair and make it legal.”
That’s about the only standard thatwefollow, what is legal and what is fair. Hanggang diyan lang tayo.
Now, the reason why I think— By the way, ‘yung mga bago kongappointments, matagal na ‘yun. It does not lie in mygrid. It’s somebody else’s turf. It’s Commission on Good Governance or something—government.And all appointments that I make has to pass thatgridthere.And it takes them time to review the appointments whether or not all the clearances are secured, iyong mga ganun.
These arethings that you overlook when you appoint somebody because you do not ask for all of these things but it gets to be reviewed by a commission and there lies the delay.
Hindi ho sa—Tapos na ho ‘yung appointments ninyo sa Board of Trustees and I hope that you have a new life there. The Filipinos never had the chance to have a respite of graft and corruption.
I would not want to zero in or focus on any administration. But for so much of our lives, it has always been corruption and it is the one thing that really pull down almost to the drain.
Iyong indolence ng taga-gobyerno if not outright making money. It does not exempt any organization, even the police have been criminals.
But remember, as if I’m quoting it for the first time. May I remind the public that when I ran, I was campaigning, I made this statement that I have to fix the police because it is rotten to the core.
I made that statement when I was campaigning. I just repeated it. So para bang ipinapalabas na all along, hindi ko alam. And that is why, kinuha ko si Bato from down sa ranking, placed him there because he has my trust and confidence.
I know na talagang pati ‘yang NBI.And may I remindDanteGierran, the chief of the NBI now, when I talked to him and I said, “I will appoint you as the NBI director. It’s only one question that I will ask you, that I’m interested to hear and answer: ‘Kaya mo bang pumatay ng isang ahente mo, agent mo kungmagka-leche-leche‘yung trabaho ninyo?’” And he said, “Yes”. “On that condition, I will appoint you.”
So I hold him responsible for his statement, whether he really kills them or not, that is not my problem. What I’m trying to say is that, I was trying to exact ‘yung performance. Not really literally, but if it has to be that way, then so be it.
I‘ll make it public for the first time.And Bato, ganun;kasi alam ko ang pulis talaga is rotten. And I said, remember that when I took office, I had to fire several generals including— I don’t know if he’s here, General Loot,a(expletive) of a general who has been involved in drugs with 100 million in assets and liabilities.
And I said that they are workers and very hard businessman that is why, he earned it. Sino bangnilolokomo, (expletive)ka?
Don’t— kayainstead of really readingitong speech na ito. Tutal, insofar as I’m concerned, in Davao City it’s working well. I hope it is happening all over the country.It’s so efficient.I’ve been there several times, that is why, I pay on time, my water bills. Nakakahiya naman kasi.
You have this—yeah, really one of the best performing government entity in the city, ‘yung water. Mining also.(applause)
Wala man dito. Wala rin corrupt na police. You know, I would not want to pull my own chair. But for the 23 years that I’ve been mayor and in between my daughter, and I was a vice mayor, we did what we had to do.
Ako, I promised Davao early on in 1888, that maybe, we would try to have somethingof apeaceful Davao.
At that time, at 7 o’clock in the evening, everything was closed. And so, I had to talk to everybody, those wanting to talk. But I never asked fora quarters— given quarters as forcriminals.
And so, it has come to pass and Davao with incredible growth of 9 percent. For any local government, that's afeat.But it took us time to doit. It took us time to reconfigure the technology of the brain. It’s not easy in Davao to enforce a law.All you have to do is suggest, just say itand thisis good for us and obey it.
Medyo konting hirapnoon, but, I said, with the passing of time, parang lahat kami nagka— We agreed that it is really to the best interest of the community to just obey the law.
So, wala masyado akong droga because I never kept my secret. Before I remember talking here before you, and I said, the rule is, do not do it in Davao,whether the drugs or crimes, I'll kill you.
And when I became President, I said, do not destroy my country. Do not deprive us of our youth. We need them for the future. And maraming mamamatay along the way.
So itong rapporteur, ang bunganga nito— and, of course,until now, they begrudge me about my rhetorics.
You America, you started it. Do not take it on me and saying thattherelations are bad because of my rhetorics. Kayo ‘yun. You kept asking me in public. Despite the fact that I was no longer mayor but the President.
I’m notextraordinarily proud or happy to be President. And even if you ask me what would be my answer, I would say: I do not need the position at this time of my life. Kayo ‘yun eh. Youchastisedme publicly forgetting that we are a sovereign country.
You could have gone to the UN because we’re all memberstates. State yourcomplaintand then the Human Rights Commission or the body itself, they would call my attention and conduct an investigation. Furnish me a copy then give me the right to be heard, that's very important.
It is the Constitution, the same words that you gave us. We suffered as your colony for 50 years and youlived off the fat of the land of my country.
Iyan ang mahirap sa inyo eh. Mas bright kayo. You seem to impose on people. So youchastisedme publicly. Obama, you would not even— Hanggang ngayon, si De Lima, Human Rights Chairman. She investigated me. Secretary, siya ‘yung mayracket.She was running the whole show. Senador, ganun rin.
Until now you have not come up with something. You know, let me just lecture on you.Iyong mga EU, bright, Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard. (expletive) kayong lahat sa totoo lang. What a waste of money investing in your (expletive)brains.
Nobody but nobody can accuse a leader of saying, do not (expletive)with my country because I will kill you. Do not drown my— with drugs and destroy the youth of my land because I will kill you. That is a defensive statement.
Just trying topreserve the Filipino. Four million addicts. Who are they? They are all slaves to a chemical and to fatten the pockets of the drug lords, who are in the police pati ‘yung mga drug lords. Four million. How many of them are permanently off histrackers, I don’t know. Because one year or six months of shabu, the severe usage would really shrink your brain. So how many persons, ilan ‘yung mga kamag-anak, anak ninyo na kung mag-usap kayo, magsalita, gaganun ang—
Suddenly it veers to another territory. Marami ‘yan dito. And you bleed for those (expletive)? Ilan? 3,000. I will kill more, if only to get rid of drugs. And this campaign, I thought that I would finish it within six months, but my standard then was Davao City.
When I became President, I had access to all information. And then, I started to squeeze everybody. And then you realize that yousawit on TV, by the hundreds of thousands, ganun pala kalala.
And there are about 40 percent of the barangay captains all over the country still operating; and policemen, about 6,000. And the trade is still being carried on behind prison bars.
Andno amount of confiscation even noon. Inilagay na nga sa NBI kasi nakakadala ngcellphone. You know a cellphone, if you are a prisoner and into drugs, ang price niyan is about 500,000. There was a time na pumasok ang cellphone, so you cannot trust anybody.
So one day, wewill just have to talk— Do not give me that shit that— “You know, this is an isolated case. It does not affect the whole country.” That’s (expletive). Someday we’ll have to talk seriously.Tayo-tayosa gobyerno.
But remember, you are not exempted. As a matter of fact, ideally, you should be the first to go, bago ‘yung mga sibilyan. Kayo ang dapat mauna sa impiyerno, totoo lang.
And—well, as of now, there are no policeman in the entire country and I want to add even the NBI— the Bureau is suspended from enforcing drug laws. Kasali kayo. Kasi nawalaan na akong tiwala sa inyo.
Only the PDEA which is being headed by General— si Sid Lapeña.Heused to be my chief of policealsoand the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
I still have to write the—there is aproclamation, executive order that I have takenin the AFP and raise the issue of drugs as a national security of threat so that they can call all the Armed Forces to assist.
So ‘yung iba, in the meantime that there will be a cleansing, a purge inside Crame and the NBI.
Merong— marami sa inyo ang okay pa. Pero, ang problema, it’s a virulentthing. It’s like a virus that has really affected lahat ng law enforcement, lahat ng law enforcement.
So ‘pagka droga, tumabi kayo because I will suspect na iyo ‘yan. For example, if you catch 50 kilos, i-surrender mo sa headquarters ‘yung 25 o ten kilos; pagka bukas, may medalya ka pa. Meritorious service. Iyong iba, pinag—(expletive), buhay na ‘to.
You know, you guys. Whether it’s PMA or PNPA, four years, government spends foryoureducation. Libre,pagkain, lahat.Gives you a degree, then youfinished, you polishit with a rank.
And then pagdating ninyo diyan sa—itong si Dumlao, abugado ‘to. But he’s not a PMAer. But then again, marami, ‘yung ibanggeneral.Pagkataposninyo, we give you jobs, the corresponding rank. It’s a little bit comfortable life, then, you (expletive)the people by committing treason.
Kaya hindi na ako tumatawa. Kasi alam mo, hirap ako eh. At the beginning, martial law, martial law. Right and left, martial law.
It started when Lacson suggested because of the sev—the propensity to decapitate people at hinihiya tayo to declare in Mindanao, limited martial law.
You know, I don't really need it. Sa totoo lang abugado ako, I don't need any martial law. Frankly, I do not need any extra powers.
And if I would declare martial law, I will not announce it and I will not even give you an answer and I will just say, “shut up”.
If it is really needed to preserve the country, maybe. But it's not the right thing to do at this moment. Wala pa naman.
Pero kita mo, we cannot make use of the police because it is corrupt. I cannot trust now the NBI because it is corrupt. That is a law enforcement agency under the Department of Justice. Then, the police is under the DILG, both under me.
So I have about a limited warm bodies, still have so many wars to fight. There's an ongoing operation in the Central Mindanao area and in Basilan. Andwhat’sreally very dangerous is that Hapsilon (Hapilon), who is an Abu Sayyaf,whohas been the leader there, kidnapping people, has been proclaimed as the leader of the ISIS, maybe, in Southeast Asia.
Nagbibidahan ‘yan sila kung who will be captured as the leader, the— who will be crowned. And the— What's the work? What's the ethic? The work is kill as many people as you can. Because, iftheyare not Muslims, they are infidels.
And for you guys who were there, kayong mga Moro— hindi masyadong, do not try to jump to conclusion.
My grandmother is a Maranao. My grandfather was— stayed there sa Iligan. But originally, ancestral, may bahay pa kami sa Marawi, long time ago.
So just the NPAs, they wanted release of prisoners, 400. I said, I have surrendered, conceded too much too soon. Lahat ng mga leader nila, binitawan. The Tiamzon couple which is really the ideologues diyan,it’s freelyso that they can talk, theleaders.
Now, they want 400 released. My God! That is already releasing all. Para na akong nag-amnesty which is usually given after a successful negotiation.
Ang sabi ko, huwag ninyo akong ipitin because the military might not like it. And then, if the military would oust me, would kill me, you have nobody talking to you.
Pag ang military, magalit, hindi naman sila sabihin mo, hindi sang-ayon sa akin. But they would always support you, if they think that you are right. 400 is 400, it is already as if the talks are over and there is a successful formula. So what is there to show?
You want individual declaration of ceasefire. I am just asking for a document which says that we are now in the ceasefire mode. Signed by the government of Oslo who is offering the good offices for us to negotiate. Iyan ‘yan eh.
Now, if you ask too much, this is a country that is not authoritarian.I head the Executive department, but I consult people and the military, especially in these matters.
Of course, nobody stood up right on my face to say, it’s not good. But during our talks, on our coffee time relaxed moments,theywould make suggestions and you can get a good vibration of whattheywant. So timpla-timpla ako dito, in the same manner, that you have the politburo that you vote on whatever you want for things to evolve in these talks. Mahirap kasi ang ano.
So nag-withdraw kayo sa ceasefire. So am I supposed to do the same? Gaya-gaya, puto maya.Just go ahead.I will decide on the fullness of God's time. Mahirap ‘yang— akala ninyo; ako lang, kasi nanalo ako; tapos, ako na. Hindi ako diktador ha?
And I have to be very careful. I have to, you know, this Congress to consider which is co-equal body. As a matter of fact, they lay down the policies of this government. They initiate laws. And I said, I have to temper. I have to calibrate my moves vis-à-vis when I deal with Congress and with the military and the police.
Now, what is important is that they must have respect. Otherwise, pag wala ng respeto yan, wala na.
For the years that I’ve been mayor, I got it from a father who was also once the governor of this ‘OneDavao’ before. And he said that, nurture respect in everybody's heart. Pag nawalaan ‘yan ng respeto sa iyo, tutumbahin ka.
All these years, tanungin ninyo dito sa Davao kung naghingi ba ako maski piso diyan sa mga negosyante? I’ll make it public now. Lucio Tan, si Andrew sa MegaWorld. They came here, chasing me to the last moment. I never accepted their donation.
Bangayan,you can dig into the records. In 1988, they were alreadyhergroup, kasi magkaibigan kami. Not because they wanted to place their own candidate but because we were friends, family friends, kaya sila gumastos. Look at the records sa election,1988 nagbibigay na yan. Hanggang ngayon, a bigger slice of the contribution came from them, because we were friends.
And when I asked for their help in 1988, this was the answer. Sabi ko sakanya,as abrother-in-law, I asked for a meeting, I said, “I will run for vice mayor. Can you support me?” And he said, “No, hindi namin sayangin ‘yung perako sa iyo.But if you decide to run for mayor, we will go for you.” Iyan ang totoo.