Duterte: Attacks, criticisms did not dampen my determination to address problems

A screengrab of President Rodrigo Duterte as he delivers his final State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 26, 2021, at the Batasang Pambansa plenary hall.

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday that no amount of criticisms dampened his determination in addressing problems of the country even after being tangled with “men of wealth or influence.”

“I cajoled, I shield, I pushed and I tangled with men of wealth or influence who were oblivious to the anguish of the weak and the impoverished,” the President said in his final State of the Nation Address.

“For that, I was pilloried to no end, but I did not succumb to the attacks neither did I allow criticisms, however intense, dampen my determination and initiatives because my purpose was pure and unpolluted,” he added.