Duterte: Support new leaders; that’s democracy

President Rodrigo Duterte (File photo by ELOISA LOPEZ / Reuters)

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has urged Filipinos to rally behind the country’s new leaders to enable them to continue building on the gains that his administration had achieved.

In his televised weekly “Talk to the People” public address on Monday, the President thanked Filipinos for trusting his administration, adding that he would retire “quietly” but that he might speak out on public issues when it was needed.

He said his administration was “ready and eager” to transfer power to the incoming leaders on June 30, promising that it would be “smooth and peaceful as we want the next administration to succeed for the benefit of the country.”

“We must all be united in confronting the issues ahead of us. We have no room for politicking or actions that are divisive to the country. The people have spoken, we have [new] leaders,” Duterte said.

He said he did not want to leave office while some people were still politicking and hurling plain, instead of constructive, criticisms at the incoming administration of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President-elect Sara Duterte, his daughter.

He said Marcos would need everybody’s help and cooperation and “we must give it to him.”

‘Our best wishes’

“That’s democracy. That is how we operate. And after the people spoke as to who they want to be the leaders, we follow [them],” said Duterte who did not support the candidacy of Marcos, whom he had described as a “weak” leader.

The president also called on Filipinos to give “our goodwill and our best wishes” to the new leaders so they could take the country to a better future.

“Thank you very much for giving your trust in me,” he said. “We are going to retire, I will be just in Davao. And if there’s a compelling need to talk, I will do it. But my drift is just really to retire quietly. No more politics for me.”

He said his term was fruitful and productive with the help of the people and all sectors and this could be the key to building a better future for the next generation.

All he wanted, Duterte said, was a better country with his advocacy to protect young Filipinos from the scourge of illegal drugs and criminality.

Continue drug war

The president called on the Philippine National Police to always protect the country’s welfare and maintain the momentum of the ongoing campaign against drugs.

“I would encourage the PNP to remember their country irrespective of us leaders, who are just passing by. Don’t let go of the fervor in your heart even if I’m about to leave,” he said.

The president also called on the military to throw its support to the war on drugs, pointing to the danger posed by narcotics, especially to the youth.

In his report to the President, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said that law enforcement agencies conducted a total of 1,772 anti-drug operations over the past two weeks and confiscated about P1 billion worth of “shabu” and marijuana.

A total 69 people surrendered to the authorities, 2,463 were arrested, and four persons were killed during the operations. An average of six to eight drug busts were conducted daily during that period, Año said.

“Under the next administration, we wish that the campaign against illegal drugs continue because we have seen that the operations of the drug syndicates are still really widespread,” the secretary added.

When he took office in June 2016, Duterte promised to end the drug menace in three to six months. He recently admitted he was unable to achieve his goal.