President Benigno Aquino lll. INQUIRER PHOTO
MANILA—President Benigno Aquino III on Saturday night delivered a scathing speech against Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, hitting the leading presidential candidate for every controversial statement he has made throughout the bruising three-month campaign.
Standing behind a podium in the middle of the illuminated stage surrounded by a sea of yellow at the miting de avance of administration candidates Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo, the Commander-in-Chief warned of the country’s possible nosedive under a Duterte presidency, tossing out every gain his administration achieved in the past six years.
READ: Aquino takes swipe at Duterte
He also said that he himself has been wondering how Duterte, who is the exact opposite of the good manners and values taught to every human being, is leading in the pre-election surveys for president.
Mr. Aquino said that while in 2010, the economy began to pick up as the Gloria Arroyo administration was about to end, the opposite is now happening.
“As the possibility grows of him becoming the next President, the value of the peso has begun to drop,” he said, even the stock market has shown unease.
READ: Stocks down ahead of polls
“Today is the last day of the campaign. On Monday, we will troop to the precincts to vote for our new leaders. It is as if by fate that tomorrow the world will celebrate Mother’s Day. It is good to remember the good manners that our mothers have taught us. My own mother told me not to cuss and to respect our fellowmen,” President Aquino said in Filipino.
It immediately drew loud cheers from the estimated 25,000 who gathered at the Quezon City Memorial Circle, most of whom wore yellow t-shirts and flashed the Laban sign.
“And because I have four sisters, I was taught not to disrespect women. I was taught that as a true Christian, I should foremost follow the Ten Commandments, including ‘Thou shall not kill’.”
READ: Kill the criminals! Duterte’s vote-winning vow
The crowd once again burst into cheers and loud applause.
“I began my speech with this because honestly, it has also got me thinking. In the surveys for president, Mayor Duterte is said to be leading, whose actions are opposite of the good manners and values that was taught to us. He is also the candidate who says he will bring us ‘real change’,” the President said.
“But what does he mean by change? He said: I will fix this country. But to me: Is our country truly in tatters? We said this in 2010. And our promise is we will leave the Philippines in a much better situation that when we took over,” Mr. Aquino said.
In education, health, and infrastructure President Aquino gave examples of what his administration has done, which had the crowd chanting “PNoy” as if in appreciation for the work he did in the past six years.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines, the President said, has also vastly improved in the past six years.
Mr. Aquino wondered if the “change” Duterte meant refers to bringing the opposite of the AFP modernization.
“Does he mean that he would leave us in the hands of the New People’s Army? I know that you know that is not right,” the President said, drawing cheers anew from the crowd.
The President reiterated that Roxas and Robredo are the ones who can truly lead the Philippines, to continue what his administration has begun.
Mr. Aquino also said that he could not prevent the return of the dark period in the motherland by himself.
“I need all of you… We have to let the others see the light. Our future, like before, rests in our hands,” the President said.
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