MANILA, Philippines — “I will end my term fighting,” President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday as he opened his fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona) at the House of Representatives.
“Let me begin by extending my hand in gratitude in all who kept faith with me in our most trying times,” Duterte said who started his speech at 5:15 p.m.
“Numbers speak a thousand words, tell a hundred tales, but the landslide victory of the administration candidates, as well as the latest survey results, shows that my disapproval rating is three percent,” he added.
He even joked, “I hope that the members of Congress, sana hindi kayo included sa three percent (I hope you’re not included in the three percent).”
He said his high approval rating inspires him “with determination to pursue relentlessly what we have started at the start of my administration.”
“Few men imbued with the will and the courage to do what he believes is right and just and whatever be the opposition in terms of numbers and noise, makes a majority. For it is not the eagle in the fight, but the fight in the eagle that matters,” he said.
“Believe me, I will end my term fighting,” he added.
Duterte said: “It has been three years since I took my oath of office and it pains me to say that we have not learned our lesson.”
“The illegal drug problem persists, corruption continues and emasculates the courage we need to sustain our moral recovery initiatives,” he said.
He said “during that Marawi siege, tons of shabu worth millions and millions of pesos drug money killed 175 and wounded 2,001 of my soldiers and policemen in that five-month battle.”
“I am aware there is still a long way to go in our fight against this social menace. That’s the reason why I advocate the imposition of the death penalty for crimes related to illegal drugs,” he said.
“Our citizens have begun to do their part in the war against drugs, and through the barangay formation of anti-drug councils, and actually surrendering bricks of cocaine found floating in the sea into our islands. I call this responsibility,” he added.
“The drugs,” he said, “will not be crushed unless we continue to eliminate corruption that allows the social monster to survive.”/ac