FULL TEXT: Duterte speech to the 6th Infantry Division in Maguindanao

President Rodrigo Duterte speaks as he inspected Friday afternoon the 5MW Biomass Power Plant of the Green Earth Energource Corporation in Buluan town in Maguindanao. FILE PHOTO

PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE’S SPEECH
DURING HIS TALK TO THE MEN OF THE
6TH INFANTRY DIVISION (Kampilan), PHILIPPINE ARMY
Officers’ Clubhouse, 6th Infantry Division
Camp BGen. Gonzalo H. Siongco, Awang
Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao
July 22, 2016

The men and women of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, particularly the 6th Division, mga kapatid: I’d like to thank you for the warm welcome and splendid dinner that I had with the officers corps. Now, I talk to you.

It took me time to visit you because of the so many things that I had to do first in the order of priority of governance. Eh alam mo marami akong problema hanggang ngayon but part of the duty of a President and a Commander-in-Chief is to go around the country and to hear out the—whatever in the military installations.

I had a briefing of your successes and I would say that we are in safe hands. The presence of government is strongly felt through the military and I would like to assure you that I’m just more than satisfied to go home knowing that all of us are doing everything we can do for the nation.

I will not tarry on any longer except to say that I was at the other side of Mindanao yesterday and I got the same reception, I got the same information. And I would say that I salute you for your sacrifice and hard work. Being a soldier is not easy. It is fraught with danger every moment of your life even when inside the camps. And I know that you are a special breed apart from the rest of the male and female population of the country. Hindi kasi lahat may gustong maging sundalo simply because here it is a borderline occupation. You can go anytime. But knowing well before that you are doing it for your own country is something you can really—someday, and I hope you can, will reach retirement and say before you pass on to the next world that you did something productive and very useful to your motherland.

Now, I would like to assure you that part of the things that they are really worried about iyong sinasabi ng Commander is your mga kaso. At the start of my term, I had many things to, sabi ko to worry, and part of it really is the drug war which is going on. I used to be some kind of a strange alien in Davao before kasi doon lang nila nalaman na sa Davao medyo strikto talaga ako sa droga. And that there were times hindi ka na—papatayin ka talaga sa—kaya huwag kang mag… do not do drugs in the city.

And sabihin ko sa inyo, mind you ha, ang pagkapaniwala ng tibuok Pilipinas, nasa Davao lang ang nakafocus yung problema sa droga. Hindi nila alam, karamihan—pero kayo kasi you are on the field, on the ground, ngayon na—hindi talaga nila alam ang lawak ng problema. Now you see on TV everyday thousands are surrendering. We have reached the 93,000 ngayon. Can you just imagine that? Hindi alam ng Pilipino until I became President at hinirit ko lahat ‘yung ano, naglabasan na ngayon, at may isang drug lord daw kanina.

I cannot tell you everything but you may want to know, nasa publiko tayo eh, kung gaano kalawak ito at kung saan galing ang direksyon. Kaya huwag kayo masyadong maniwala diyan sa mga sabihin nila na ano na: “Where is the big fish?” “Iyong malalaki?” Ang malalaki wala dito. Hindi kaya natin abutin. Makipag-giyera ka pa doon sa labas bago mo makuha sila. Lahat dito mga tinyente lang yan, tinyente-tinyente lang, mga lieutenants, that’s a cliché. Tinyente lang sa negosyo at yung naglalaro. Hindi mo matapos ito kapag hindi mo putulin lahat kasi galing sa labas ang…

I was told na doon sa operation nila, real time, ngayon, at ito nakikinig sila ngayon. Iso-zoom in lang nila sa computer and they can—makikita nila doon. They have installed even this state technology. Makikita nila doon, “Oh sige, nasa Maguindanao, i-zoom in mo. Ayon o.” Sasabihin lang nila, “Doon mo i-deliver sa Midsayap yung barangay diyan, yang ano. Anong pangalan niyan?” Paano tayo mananalo niyan? Wala namang heneral dito na pwede kong patayin, nandoon sa labas. State of technology eh. Hindi mo na kailangan—you can visit the entire country or around the world using technology na. Iyon ang mahirap dito. Eh kung meron tayong mapatay na big-time eh ‘di putulin na isa na kaagad, eh mag-operate daw ng isang battalion di ubusin niyo. The problem is—and that is really a worry for all of us. Kaya ako, basta ako focused. Wala kayong marinig sa akin. Basta sabi ko na nakita na ninyo gaano kalawak. 93,000, God, every, kita mo ang isang auditorium puno ng mag-surrender. Ibig sabihin binababoy, binabastos tayo ng itong mga, kaya…

Well, anyway, I have this meeting with ____, sabi ko I will confront China with that. Mas galit ako diyan eh. So iyon ang plano ko. But I will do everything, paano lang ito kung paano mo sugpuin itong droga. That’s why I had to call you because it is really all over town. Lahat tinamaan na maski saan-saan tayo mag-ano nandoon. You have to help, you have to help. Otherwise, having this kind of environment, mahirapan ang Pilipino.

Another thing is that, I would like to make myself very, very clear, for the MI (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) and the MN (Moro National Liberation Front), I’d like, I said, to publicly salute Murad for opting, for choosing to talk further. Kasi sabi niya noon, if there is no BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law), he will go to war. Kaya ako napunta doon sa kampo nila, Darapanan, is that the one? At the first time wala doon si Murad and sabi ko kay ano, “Wala naman mangyari. If this is just a talking, you can postpone your war so that we can talk.” Sabi ko, kung manalo ako. Sabi ko mag-usap na lang tayo. Magkakapatid-kapatid lang tayo. And to-date, I said, they have really stood by their promise that let’s give peace another chance of talks. Ako naman, I am ready to give the BBL minus yung mga Constitutional issues doon na talagang contentious and it cannot be solved by just an agreement between me. Kailangan talaga it has to be participated with Congress. But iyong walang question, ibigay ko na lang and so with Nur Misuari. At tingnan na lang natin. Ang sabi ko, even if you give them that part of the territory, there is enough land in the Philippines. Malawak ang Pilipinas. Wala lang gulo papasok lahat iyan.

And we can establish industrial zones. Kaya ako doon sa Paris, may misgivings ako kasi yung pollution natin ngayon, you are just hitting yung binubuga natin na usok pero wala ka naman masyadong makita doon, but still there is poison thrown to the air. Eh kung ang i-ratio nila pare-pareho lang sa dati maski even if it is a self-imposed, hindi ka naman maka-impose na ‘ito yung aming allotment.’ Sabihin, “eh bababa kami, bababa ka rin.” Ang problema nitong mga industrial countries, dumating na sila sa kanilang papatunguhan. They have reached the destination, highly industrialized na yan. But along the way, throughout the years, ang China, ang America, ang Europe, ang sigi bomba-bomba ng madumi sa itaas. Tayo wala naman tayong factory. I travelled the whole—ito wala akong nakita ni isa.

So, we will be starting our industrialization. If we are really true to our promise to serve the Filipino and to serve them good. Ngayon, pagdating ng mga factory na yan, may usok talaga yan. Eh kung sabihin mo, aba, hindi naman pwede ganun. Kami ang ambisyon rin namin, dumating rin, in parity, tabla ba. Eh kung ayaw ninyo kaming patablahin kasi nandiyan na kayo, kami nandito eh sabi ko “kalokohan yan.” I will not agree to that. How can I industrialize the country if you are putting limits now even if they say “ah sige, ikaw ang bahala.” Mahiya ka man magsabi na “dito kami, eh hanggang dito lang kami.” Iyong previous natin ganun, o di magdagdag tayo kasi may industrialization, ganun. That’s only good for about three industrial sites. Iyong iba sirahan mo muna kasi magdagdag tayo ng poison. Mahirap yan, mahirap yung ganun. Alam mo itong minsan mayayaman pati ano, ga “kaya-kaya” ba sa Binisaya. Ayaw nila maniwala. Mag-usap tayo ulit, mag-usap tayo ulit. You take into account our plans and if it comes to reality within the six years that I am President, then that is good. So iyon ang kuwan ko.

Kasi kung wala lang talagang gulo maraming papasok dito: cheap labor, resources. Kaya lang sometime, may mga panahon na tatamaan tayo ng El Niño but it comes in cycle and we can prepare. These are the things that we need to help our people and that is why we are fighting this war.

Now, let me go to the point, the point is: Marami sa inyo ang nagkakaso. ‘Pag ang kaso ninyo in the fulfillment of your duty, trabaho, upon orders of your officers, commanding officers or platoon officer, basta sa trabaho, wala kayong—do not worry at all. Do not lose sleep there. Don’t let it bother you or basta trabaho lang. Kung may magpakulong ako. Sagot ko kayong lahat basta sa trabaho.

Pati sa pulis. Lahat iyan, law enforcement. Lalo na yang droga. Hayaan mo yang mangamatay diyan. Ano ang ginagawa nila sa Pilipinas? Kita mo ng sabi ng PDEA, the last count that we had the addicts, 3 million, that was two years ago, that was a statement given two years ago. Eh di may increase talaga yan. Ilagay mo na lang sa conservative, huwag masyadong ma-ano. Eh dagdagan mo na lang 3,700,000 addicts in this country. Iyan sinabi sa Tondo lahat yan that is all around the Philippines. Nakita mo ngayon by the thousands ang surrenderee. Ibig sabihin matindi talaga ang problema natin, totoo lang.

I am forced to take a strong hand. Talagang sabi ko dito, hindi ako aatras. Magpila na kayo mamatay diyan, wala akong pakialam. Dahil sisirain talaga ang bayan natin. Eh sabi ko eh: Do not blame me. During the campaign, I made it very clear to everybody and the last statement that I made in Luneta sa kampanya: If you destroy my country, I will kill you. If you will destroy the young people of this land, I will kill you, period. Wala naman akong sinabi na pangkampanya lang ito. Iyong iba, eh pagkampanya sige saad, sige dito ganun pagdating ng panahon. Sabi ko pagdating ng panahon, umpisa na kaagad. Bahala na yan. Sige daldal diyan. Human rights, sino ba ang gusto pumatay ng inosente? You think I’ll enjoy killing an innocent people? Kalokohan. But I am trying to—hindi naman to actually save. We are not on the brink of disaster as a nation, but certainly, it will pull our resources down.

Ang mga anak ng… Bantayan ninyo ha, tingnan niyo mga anak niyo, talagang spend time also with them. Alam ko sundalo ka, you are always out. But take all measures kasi pagka ang anak mo, may anak ka sa pamilya na tinamaan, sira na yung pamilya. May problema ka na habang-buhay because kung dalawa, tatlong taon nagsha-shabu iyan, wala nang rehabilitation na yan. It’s no longer viable. Kasi unlike cocaine o heroin galing sa poppy, tanom ba, tanim yan eh. Shabu is a deadly mix of a chemical. Actually yang tubig sa baterya yan ang ginagamit nang pagluto ng shabu. Kaya kung sige ka shabu ang imong utok mura pud ga-andar rannnggg. Kita ka sa Pasay ang mga bata, iyong mga bata doon nagputukan ang pati puso pumutok talaga. Kung ano ang ginagawa ng mga… ano, anong?

Ako kasi ganito, let’s not talk about law. Huwag yang pulis o NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), tanungin na lang kita: Bakit ka nagluluto ng shabu ipagbibili mo sa anak ko? Ano ang kasalanan ko sa iyo? Why are you killing my children? I am asking you, what did I do to you? Bakit ka pumasok ng ganun dadamayin mo ang buong humanity. Eh kung dito tinamaan ka tapos ni-rape mo yung bata, 18-months old, one-year old, bumubuka yung tiyan. Ano ang kasalanan ko sa iyo? Bakit mo ni-rape ang mga anak ko? Natutulog yang 18 months, kuwaon nimo? Sa Quiapo, saan na kunin mo yung anak diyan sa tabi walang matulugan tapos dalhin mo ilalim sa jeep, patayin mo, bago mo…

So yan ang akin. So that is, sabihin: Bakit si Duterte ganun? Iyan. Ano ang kasalanan ko sa inyo? Bakit gagawain ninyo sa kapwa tao ninyo yan? Iyan ang, tulung-tulungan tayong lahat dito. Ngayon itong ating—sabi ko nga kay—I’ll just end by saying I would reiterate my ano ko kay Murad, pati kay Nur, pero iyong iba, iyong ibang ayaw talaga makipag-usap at wala naman silang meaning sa buhay natin. Ayaw makipag-usap, ayaw tatanggapin yung implorings natin na: Let’s talk about this. Gusto lang pumatay nang pumatay. If that is the only basis then you destroy them. Paano may pangutana sa atin? Magsige lang, habang panahon magsige lang tayo: “Brod, huwag naman tayo, Brod. Maawa ka naman.” All the time? Tapos parang kagaya ng gulo para tayo sinasampal. Everytime na may makidnap diyan, lumulunok tayo kasi kini-criticize ang Pilipinas, drugs ganun din. Isa pa yon, pinasok na ng…

Naghanap ako ng berdugo eh. Sabi ko sino ang ipalit ko diyan sa Muntinlupa? Sabi ko, “hanapan mo ako ng berdugo.” Tapos itong si ano, Alex Balutan. Somebody mentioned his name. Itong si Alex, berdugo ba talaga? Berdugo hay nag-aano ng ano samurai, ganun? Sabi ko iyan. Kaya meron. O kita mo tinake over ng SAF (Special Action Force). Tapos sabi niya dayalog-dayalog, sabi pa ng buang, “Walang dayalog-dayalog. Ba’t pa magdadayalog?” Tama, patayin mo ang mga yan. Gastos sa pagkain, wala namang silbi. Iniinsulto tayo. Where in the world? Ikinulong mo na nga kasi nagluto ng shabu, ang ulol. Hinuli ko na noon sa Davao, hindi ko pinatay kasi itong si De Lima madaldal. “O sige, buhayin na ‘tong unggoy na ito.” Nung pinadala doon sa Muntinlupa, ayon nagluto na naman ng shabu. Di mas mabuti pa sinalvage ko na lang. Anak ng…

So these are the things that kaya ako bakit ganun. May ayaw talaga, may talaga ang tao gusto, eh di ibigay natin kung ano ang gusto mo eh. You do not want to talk to us, you continue fighting government. We do not want it, you forced us to fight. Eh ano paningin, magsige lang tayo tingin. Then you asked for it, we will give it to you. Now, for the people who want peace, we will go out. Ako, I’m ready to concede BBL minus the Constitutional infirmities. Hindi ko maibigay yan kasi yung Constitution natin ngayon hinahawakan natin hindi pwede. Kagaya niyang regional Armed Forces pati regional Police. You break the chain of command, commander-in-chief, kung sino man yan, huwag magliko ng ganun, diretso yan. In other words, the country will always, isang tao lang talaga ang mag-control. Whoever is there. Kasi yan pa naman matagal na yan. It takes about four, maybe seven years to perfect. It does…

It will not come easy for us. Mag-negotiate lang. Hindi nga ito sa panahon ko eh. Pero we will remove the things that talagang hindi pwede. But we are ready. Yung area? Sige. If the Constitution will allow that there is a certain… Kami magbigay muna ng authority kung sino ang gusto nila na mag-manage sa resources. There is enough land. There is enough oil. Maski na sabihin mo na makipag-away ang China. Inyo na yan mas marami pa kami dito, hindi lang nila alam. Pero huwag tayong magdaldal baka ang China Sea ilagay… Saan ka nakakita dito na ang buong dagat kunin? Gusto kong sabihin sa kanila: Kunin mo na ang Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean pati Atlantic Ocean, iyo na. Kinuha lahat. Pati yung territorial na from the lowest ebb ng tide, maabot ng tide, low tide and high tide, you begin there, then you count 12 miles and that is your territory, territorial waters. Beyond that yung ating exclusive economic zone. Parang concession yan, parang franchise, o iyan ha exclusive mo yan. Ito ngayon, inaagaw. So hindi na lang ako magsalita because the talks are ongoing. The President will be—Friday man tayo ngayon—bukas kung magsabi si President Ramos na hindi na niya kaya, I’ll appoint Alunan, DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government), mahusay yon. Reserve ba yon ng… He is a colonel in the reserve force. Iyon na lang ang pangpalit. He knows his business.

So, iyon ang message ko sa inyo. I am happy that you are all well. Noon sana, ipagbili ko yung Ang Pangulo kasi idagdag ko magbili ako ng bagong ospital. But if not, sige lang. In the fullness of God’s time, dito kung itong bagong team natin. You know, we are losing 300 million a day sa mga ports all over the Philippines, a day. Sa BIR, sa graft and corruption, about two. So five million ang nawawala araw-araw. ‘Pag nakuha namin—sabi ko nga kay Faeldon, the the commissioner sa Customs—hanapan mo ng paraan gaya ng gamit natin para sa mga sundalo rin.

I can build you a new hospital or i-improve. Kung sino ang magbili ng barko, anyone of you here can be the broker, ipagbili yan kay may komisyon kayo diyan. Ang halay niyan, ang kita niyan, ilagay ko ng bago sanang ospital para inyo pero ‘pag hindi I have other plans. Gawin ko na lang din ospital kung saan ang bakbakan i-parking ko yun doon. Kumpletuhin ko lang para hindi na mag naa gawin kong ospital, working na ospital. Iyan ang plano ko or entirely scrap na yan. Whatever makuha ko, I will build, I will repair V. Luna. Lagyan ko lahat: CT scan, MRI, and I will remove the doctors sa regular plantilla kasi ang mga doktor kasi sa labas mas mahal, so lahat ng doktor nandoon. So wala masyadong doktor na may experience. Pumunta ng Amerika na yung may expertise na makisawsaw sa atin kasi ang liit ng sweldo. I will make the salary competitive para yung mga espesyalista—if they are paying them sabihin mo siguro 300,000, yung expert nila, consultant—I’ll pay you 350,000. Dito ka, lumipat ka, kasi nandito yung mga tigas. Tigas ulo o tigas ‘yung kuwana.

Hindi na ako magtagal kasi I have to go to Buluan to inaugurate a power plant. Let me assure you that under my watch—mind you, sundalo ang tatay ko— under my watch, okay tayo. Okay na ang Pilipinas. Okay na tayo.

So I have to go and I said thank you again for the warm welcome and fight lang. Wala kayong problema. Nasa tama tayo. Bakit tayo magkakaso nasa tama tayong lugar. Maski nagkamali nasa tama pa rin. Huwag kayo mag-ano, eh trabaho lang naman ito. When you go out there at the camp to fight, that’s our job. Mata-trabaho lahat yan. So trabaho tayo pati ako, but I will take care of you. I’ll take care of you and I will protect you.

Maraming salamat po.

Read here all of President Duterte’s speeches delivered during his visit to various military camps across the country.