Duterte Verbatim: Closing statement in Pangasinan debate

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte at the presidential debate in Pangasinan. SCREENGRAB FROM ABS-CBN

Editor’s Note: The Inquirer catalogues in its “Duterte Says” series all the prepared statements, speeches and pronouncements of President Rodrigo Duterte made during and after the 2016 national and local elections in the Philippines. 

FINAL PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
PHINMA, University of Pangasinan, Dagupan City | April 24, 2016

CLOSING STATEMENT

To my countrymen, I am running for President. I am just an ordinary citizen. I do not have the credentials of a summa cum laude. I was not even an honor [student] during my time. Eh, tamang-tama lang ho (I was just an OK student).

But awa naman ng Diyos sa amin (by the grace of God), we are just migrants to Mindanao. Of course, my mother is a Mindanawan. Ang pangako ko sa inyo ito, droga papanagsikapin ko (My promise to you all, I will work on the drug problem). I’ll suppress it to the minimum kung hindi ko kayang hulihin (if I can’t catch them all).

Criminality, it is hounding the urban areas and even the countryside. Alam mo pati droga umaabot na sa bukid, pinagbibilihan na nila yung mga anak ng farmers (You know, drugs have even reached the fields, they sell to the children of the farmers). And they get the carabaos and the pig. You know, galit talaga ako (I’m really mad).

Sabi nila na mamamatay-tao ako, baka talaga (They say I’m a killer, maybe so). Ang hinihingi ko lang (All I ask), stop and I will fix government. Corruption must stop. If you–if I’m into the presidency, for two weeks tapos walang maniwala sa akin, walang susunod (but no one will believe me, no one will follow me), then even if you give me 10 years, I would not be able to do it.

Pero ako kasi, sabi ko, ordinaryong tao lang ako, ayaw kong mapahiya. Kaya ‘pag sinabi kong huminto kayo, huminto kayo (But I, as I’ve said, am an ordinary man and I don’t want to embarrass myself. So if I say stop, you stop). And for those really – alam ko na (I know), I have one word for all of government dito sa Pilipinas (here in the Philippines), stop.

S-T-O-P. Just stop. Just obey the law. And for the civilians, wala akong hingiin (I am not asking for anything). Sabi nila may extrajudicial killing. It’s not that. You know, it’s really the interest of the country. Gagawin ko po iyan (I will do that). I will stop corruption.

Walang droga, kung maaari lang maubos ko. Pati tao – OK lang sa akin, sabay na sa droga (No drugs, if only I can finish them all. Even people–that’s OK with me, get rid of them together with drugs). Criminality, ganoon rin (same).

I will not… I will be harsh. And I’m warning you about, in the horizon, the coming of terrorism. Pareho ‘yan (That’s the same). But I have to talk to the Mindanawan people for peace. Hindi ito makaya kung anu-anong usapan o giyera. Kasi ito, historical ito (Peace cannot be done with whatever talks or wars). And even the NPAs (National People’s Army), [Jose Maria Sison did say that] if I’m President or Grace (Poe) is, he would come to talk. That is a welcome development. Wala akong hangarin except my country (I have no ambition except my country).