Duterte claims he was able to fulfill almost all his promises to Filipinos
President Rodrigo Duterte in his public address. FILE PHOTO / Screengrab from RTVM video
MANILA, Philippines — As his term nears its end in 2022, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday that he will be stepping down having fulfilled almost all of his campaign promises to Filipinos.
“But I said, my term is nearing its end. I can say with a little bit of pride na halos lahat na pinangako ko, natupad ko (almost all of my promises, I fulfilled),” Duterte said during the inauguration of social and tourism ports and seaport development projects in Zamboanga City.
“But you know, for as long as there are men in this planet, there will always be misdeeds and wrongdoings committed by human [beings],” he added.
Despite this, Duterte said that he tried his best to be true to his words.
“Be that as it may, sinabi ko, I tried my best and ‘di ko naman sabihin na ano pero mukhang nakumpleto ko halos lahat ng pinangako ko sa taumbayan,” the president continued.
(Be that as it may, I said, I tried my best and it seems like I completed almost all of my promises to the public.)
“When I was running during the elections, kung matandaan ninyo (if you remember), I only promised five. I said I will try to, try to eliminate or finish all shabu industry,” he said. “Paningin ko, hindi ko man talaga natapos (I think I really did not finish it) because every minute, there is a stupid guy around to do again the—and I said I’d also take care of law and order.”
One of Duterte’s centerpiece programs was his war on drugs, which he admitted that he was not able to totally get rid of. His administration’s bloody campaign against drugs however faced criticism both here and abroad.
He and some of his men are even facing probe for a complaint of crime against humanity due to alleged state-sponsored killings and human rights violations before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
However, Duterte reiterated that he will only face a Filipino prosecutor despite the suspension of the ICC’s investigation.
On peace and order, the President said that there is a “heavy concentration” of military and police in Mindanao as progress cannot happen without law and order.
“There’s a heavy concentration of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the PNP (Philippine National Police) here in Mindanao, especially in this area, because I believe that no development or progress can ever, ever happen if there is no law and order,” he further pointed out.
