PRESIDENTIAL NEWS DESK
PRESIDENT RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE
MEDIA INTERVIEW
[Davao City, Philippines | August 21, 2016]

 

OPENING STATEMENT:

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Good morning. It’s 1 o’clock in the morning. And the reason why I could not be on time with you because I had a caucus with some of the congressmen regarding legislative matters that will be taken up in the coming days.

I took off this meeting because there will be long hiatus of holidays and I am not sure if I could talk to you again earlier. You know, some of my relatives yung mga babae, the women, they are asking me even from the States — they are residents of the United States: “Why did you have to include the relationship between De Lima and the driver?”

The crux of the matter is, if I do not talk about that relationship with De Lima to her driver, then there is no topic to talk about. Because what is really very crucial there is the fact that because of that relationship with her driver, which I termed “immoral” because the driver has a family and a wife, gave rise — that connection gave rise to the corruption of what was happening inside the national penitentiary.

Kaya nga nagkaroon ng special privileges and you are not surprised that during her term and for a longer period, when she became the Secretary of Justice, there were special privileges granted to almost all inmates? There were guns there inside; there were parties being held almost every night; there was a combo, a musical group; liquors and alcoholic drinks flowed freely and women went inside and out the prison.

Now, if I do not mention the connect between the senator, was then a secretary of justice, and her driver, how would you now explain? How would now I explain to the public the state of things happened — the partying, drugs and even cooking shabu — went well, unbridled unhampered because of the driver himself? Would you think that a driver of a — a Department of Justice employee — could have allowed these things by all and himself? These illegal things which you saw on TV almost everyday for about a month, do you think that without De Lima giving him the authority to allow the inmates to do that? All of these could have only happened if there was the go-signal from the head of the department, which is the secretary. [Barlaan?] Is that his name? Yes, [Barlaan?]. He was also one of the bagmen. [inaudible] And secretary all of these things happened under your nose and shabu was floating inside and it was being — and what was really painful and the reason why we knew and I know because they were trafficking shabu from the inside.

Were if not for that authority, these cellphones and everything else, the guns, could not have happened. Now I am now warning everybody connected with the Bureau of Prisons in Muntinlupa, all the guards there and the supervisors, because if you do not tell the truth before any committee or any governmental body, be it the Senate or the House of Representatives: Be prepared to be charged for what that is serious negligence of duty if not — I hope it is not that you were in conspiracy with the prisoners. You were there for almost — all the time that these things happened. Do you mean to say that you did not report it to your superiors? Or you allow these things to happen by yourself only your authority and nobody else’s? Then be prepared to be investigated because I will charge you for negligence of duty or under the Revised Penal Code for conspiring with these guys to precisely act the way they behaved there inside the prison. It could not have happened without your connivance. It could only mean conspiracy.

Now if you are not ready to tell the truth, I said be ready to be ousted. You are all invited in the meantime to go to Basilan and find your places there and in Jolo. You are going there, kayong lahat, I will be assigning you there. In the meantime that we are now waiting for the House of Representatives or also — which is also conducting its own inquiry, I urge De Lima to proceed with the investigation.

And I would like to invite…There is somebody who told me that there was this UN expert that “Duterte is not doing enough” to come to the Philippines, have a conference with me in public, you can ask your questions all that you want to know but allow me to ask you also. You seemed to be characterized by — UN expert? Fine. I am just a simple trial lawyer so why don’t you come here and let’s talk about what you’re talking about.

Extrajudicial killing? I will do the explanation in public for international release if you want. For the things that really happened during the criminals and the police in operations — punitive operations, police action — I am willing to answer all of them. I assume full responsibility for what happened because I was the one who ordered it. Now, my instructions at the very first day of my term was that: Go out and hunt for these criminals.  Arrest them if they surrender peacefully but if they put up a violent stunt then you just have to kill him because I do not want people in government dying needlessly for doing his work when you were then leaving behind a family and children.

Now remember today we lost another policeman. On the average on the national scheme, we lose about two — on the average two or three police officers killed in drug operations. Now, I want the law expert to come here and to count the numbers of death also incurred by government with his fingers to guide him how many deaths are caused.

For the extrajudicial killing, we say it’s not the work of police to be wrapping people with plastics and put him in the bag, that is not a job of the police. I just told him that one bullet will do. Why do you have to wrap it? I said waste your time, that is not… But we know at the start what we planted the intrigues there. I am just…Well, I am not really… I have learned a lot during my prosecution days. We planted evidence, we arrested persons but we released them but telling him that it was this person who squealed on him and then when he goes out with killing and then we said it was this fellow who really did it. We first planted the intrigues so that we would know where — from where it came from. It was not until…I was the favorite whipping boy of De Lima. She was for the longest time chairman of the Commission on Appointments, Philippines Republic. She was yacking, she never proved anything. When she became the secretary of justice, she was yacking accusing me but she never also initiated any complaint, any accusation anywhere. She is just simply — love talking in front of cameras and microphones. Now she is conducting an investigation against — well, in the matter of judicial killings. And then she had the goal to mention my name “mayor Duterte” that’s what I call me… My appellation is really mayor. That is my nickname so you call me mayor. Do not call me president, I am not used to it. I have been mayor for 23 years, just call me mayor.

And she said, “Mr. President…Duterte follow me as I start my probe.” Good, then we will have to include all: your driver, all of the employees, [Barlaan?].

And may I ask you the name of the house in Pangasinan was named under the — the title was named in favor of — under the sister of your driver. Where did she get the money? Tell me. Where did your driver get the money to build such a good house? Can you show me their income? What’s their business? And what is the work of your driver?

He was the one resided there for the time. And you Senator De Lima were there so many times. First, during the house blessings and on weekends you were with your driver.

And everybody knows, the Department of Justice employees know about it. When you were the Secretary of — or the chairman of the Commission on Appointments — everybody in that agency knew about it. As if you are the only one.

You know the reason why I called for this conference is just to disabuse the minds of the many women criticizing me. I said I have to mention the connect between De Lima’s driver and her, otherwise I’d look stupid. Why would a — the inmates obey a driver on the mere approval of a driver? Para kang gago. So that is one round. Wait until we present these guys. They can — well, maybe deny it initially but you know, there are lots of ways doing it. Allow me to ask you seven questions and I would get the truth on your mouth. I am not saying I am the best but 10 years as a prosecutor was a learning process of arriving at proofs.

Now the second round, I would be mentioning again the names of the police and most of the senior officials of the police PNP and some judges. But in between, far and wide in this controversy, I will now raise again the Napoles issue.

There are lots of billions and billions of pesos lost. Even able just only to put several lawmakers there inside but only because the charge is —- the accusation is non-bailable. Otherwise, whether to tell — you want to reckon and telling whether eventually put in prison with finality or acquitted in the meantime just there in prison and that is not enough vindication for the Filipino people.

Let us revisit the Napoles case. I have some revealing things to tell you about it. You just wait. But I will…If that is the only thing that I’ll have to do until the end of my term, I will do it. For I shall have done a singular task of giving you the truth about your government. The reason why I was risking my peace land. It was in defiance all the time I was complaining because I was mad at government.

People were being framed, the airports, the bullets placed inside their bags, being arrested, investigated for no reason at all — except that the grieve of those…I said I’ve been…

You know my mouth is they say “lousy”. But I would like to issue a warning that on Monday, I would declare all positions in the government that were presidential appointments or if you are there because of the presidential appointments, I will declare all your positions all throughout the country vacant. You know why? Until now, in my provincial visits, I still hear corruption being committed by people especially in the regulatory agencies. I would like to point out one, the LFTRB — LTFRB, the regulation board, I forgot his name, but come to me and see me in Malacañang.

The LTO and those who are appointed to that positions of LTO except the career, consider your positions vacant as of this hour. All of them. Lahat. It will number in thousands, consider yourself in the crucible of the truth about corruption in this country.

I am…I hate it. I do not want to give the slightest headache to my fellow human being.

On De Lima, furthest from mind is to interrogate your person. But I have to mention your relationship because it was your driver who was in contact with the rest of the guys there inside the prison. And eventually Senator De Lima, it was your greed and your immorality that led you in. Hindi mo na maitago iyan. It’s all loose. I think it’s beyond your control already.

People are willing — even the employees of that penitentiary — SAF to get over, it’s now under the police. But remember this, when we start to ask question, you better tell us the truth or else I will charge you all superintendents, wardens, supervisors, a case of conspiracy to commit serious wrong or at the very least seriously neglecting your duty.

The Napoles case should deserve a second look for it has also — it involves corruption, and De Lima. Any question?

 

Q&A:

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Yes, Bigornia.

DORIS BIGORNIA (ABS-CBN): Good morning, sir.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: You are the topnotcher. Always the first to raise your hand. It must be a good exercise doing it. Go ahead.

1. BIGORNIA: Sir, De Lima had a press conference yesterday and she said that she is willing to resign and be shot in front of you if your allegations are true. She said all your evidence are fake, false, manufactured and perjured.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Same here. I said I’d put it at stake. At the start of my term, I said, I am willing to put at stake my honor, my life and the presidency itself. Nauna na ako. I am willing to go. I said, “go ahead, change me.” I’ve been telling the congressman, if I am lying, we had a conference there for sometime, I said, “You can impeach me.”

She is lying through her teeth because now that she is…You know in all of her answers, she was only telling about drugs, now she denied there are leads about drugs, but she never said true or false about the driver. And the driver is the connect — lahat naman sa loob sinasabi ang driver.

And then they said, “Now I have the permission of the top honcho.” So that is why…Now tell me De Lima, when I testified in the Senate two years ago about the rice smuggling of this city and at the behest of the BIR Commissioner Kim Henares and she said “Rody…” in a call, “please help us in finding out who is behind this rice smuggling.”

I did. I never went…I do not go to inside — they are being operated independently of the local government, but I did my work and it was not until…All of the agencies never knew Bangayan. From the Philippine Ports Authority to the Philippine Maritime Police, to the Coast Guard, nobody knew the idiot until I went inside the intelligence community and ask for a picture and I said, “Do not fuck with me. Give me the picture of this Bangayan.” And that is why I exhibited, when Enrile said, “Do you know this guy?” “Yes.” “Can you identify him?” “Yes, he is the idiot that…” Enrile said, “What will you do if you find Bangayan doing smuggling in your city?” And I answered, “I’ll shoot him.”

I am dead serious. If he will do it again and then I will shoot him. You steal seven billion of the money of the people of the Republic of the Philippines and you think you can — you’ll be alive forever. I will take the cudgels. “God, do not do it. I will never allow you to steal seven billion of your taxes of the people,” sinabi ko. Then Jinggoy Estrada said, “Ano ang sinabi ninyo?”  “It was really in sarcasm.” And I said, “I will give you an answer you want to hear. Patayin ko ‘yan. I’ll kill him.”

And so when we went outside the Senate halls at the termination of the hearing, De Lima whenever she faces with the microphone and TV cameras, she changes the aura, nag-iiba ‘yung anyo. She becomes combative and she said, “Duterte should be punished for…” “Duterte should be sued for making a threat against the life of a resource person there,” forgetting — even as she is a lawyer — forgetting that nobody but nobody can question my behavior inside a Senate during a hearing or it is only the Senate who can question me of what I do, of what I did, of what I’ll be doing because that is an affront of the Senate itself as a collegial body, not an outsider even if you are the secretary of Justice.

De Lima I thought was bright because she is the secretary of Justice. But I realized that I said her aura changes, from a jiggle an eye thing. Forgetting the fundamentals of law and out of respect because you are now suggesting to the Senate to punish me. That is one implication. Second implication, she cannot do it because she is not a member of the Senate, so she cannot sue me. And that shows how bright De Lima is.

Mamaya na. I will let answer some…I made a gamble when I was… And I said to the congressman, “Impeach me if I am wrong. Impeach me if I am lying.” But De Lima has to face and answer. She can remain a senator of the Republic of the Philippines but she has to explain why is not answering now her connect, her relationship with the driver because that driver was the one who work it out inside the penitentiary to allow these prisoners to have all of these privileges. Cooking shabu, opening the gates for guests to come in, there was a partying, there was a raid, there were guns and at one time, the guards could only enter upon the permission given by the inmates. That’s why I said, “Send a combat troops. And if they go around rioting, shoot them all and save money feeding criminals in this country.” I’d rather give it to the poor and the hungry.

1. BIGORNIA: Sir, follow up, Mayor. In the same press conference you said she got a call from the driver about a month ago and he was afraid and he supposedly expressed fear that something would happen to him and that he would be used as a witness against her?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: So, why would he be afraid? If there is nothing to hide, the predicate afraid if he is going to be used. So why be afraid if there is nothing to hide? From the semantics itself, from the wordings itself, it’s very loaded. Very loaded. You know, you can really catch the…Why would she say that? That she is afraid that he would be used as a witness. Why give importance even to the statement if you have nothing there? [inaudible] Just say, I have never authorized you. I never gave you any authority or whatever. But she would say that being afraid of being used as a witness.

You know, De Lima might…We cannot use it as an evidence in court because that would be illegal. And I would not say I was the one who made the intercepts. It was given to us free by another country friendly to us. Even the ATM and the codes emanating from Muntinlupa through his driver. And I told De Lima, “De Lima, I was listening to you.” And if she would face me dito na kaming dalawa lang, I would tell her: Explain to me your immorality and explain to me your connection with the drug people. And why is it that during the birthday of one high-profile inmate you went ahead inside with your driver and celebrating with the rest of the inmates a party inside the police cell?

She cannot deny it because there are pictures taken at that time. But she never for a moment even to just deny it. So what’s a…You know, you confirm one if it is true and you confirm another if it is true and make it false. I have no quarrel with you. It was you who started this ruckus many years ago. You made use a popular at my expense. So now that you are at the receiving end of all of this, you should not be heard complaining because there are serious matters already arrayed against you. Wait until we revisit the Napoles case, Secretary or Senator De Lima, and I assure you, you will be horrified.

Wait until the probe goes along even in your own committee because I will start to mention the names of those you oath to subpoena and to appeal there to testify. That the committee that is being headed by you. And of course, there is another parallel hearing being conducted at the lower house. You are in a bind. Please think it over seriously. Do not open your mouth unnecessarily because by the words that you have framed it’s only defensive. That she is afraid or he is afraid that he would be used as a state witness against you. So, why would you be afraid?

There is a psychological…It’s just a line saying: “I am afraid that I’ll be forced to tell the truth.” Although forced but still the truth. So that’s a problem. Now because he was called and be forced, force is force, a subpoena is a force. You do not obey you are cited in contempt. And the other word is I’ll be forced to tell the truth. What gives… Any question?

EDITH REGALADO (THE PHILIPPINE STAR): Good morning po, sir.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Why don’t you take a seat and…

 

 

 

 

 

1. REGALADO: Hindi mainit masyado…

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: I am comfortable answering you sitting down. You don’t have to stand up.

1. REGALADO: Kasi tumatayo ako, sir.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: You can use the chair behind you.

1. REGALADO: Yeah. Sir ah, that’s my seat also. Sir, question lang po. At the start of your administration you were saying something about giving the bounty of five million, three million down to P50,000 for big drug lords. Whatever happened to that bounty po, bounty offer, sir?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Tapos na.

1. REGALADO: You have given somebody, some people?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Tapos na.

1. REGALADO: You were the ones answering…You were the ones announce…Tapos na?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Tapos na. Ibig sabihin ibinigay na. Ano ba naman.

1. REGALADO: Ah okay. Sir, next question, in this whole ano with De Lima, I wonder what end do you or do you foresee in this whole thing? What will be the end?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: You know I was really appalled. I was horrified. I was the favorite whipping boy, as the number one violator of human rights because of the so many criminals killed and that matter was investigated by the UN. I do know for the nth time again and a rapporteur came here. So I told him: “It is true that there are people killed in police operations.” And for that I assume full responsibility because I’m the head.

Now, for those who are really killed in the drug war, in the rivalry to take up a prominent place somewhere there, do not include the police — especially about people being thrown inside the sack or a guy being wrapped with plastic. Why would we do that? What’s the point of wasting our efforts when a criminal is a criminal? If he happens really to fight with the law.

Sabihin nila: Then why is it that they always lose the gun fight? You know, my police department is not stupid. When the police go out or goes out to hunt, to apprehend those selling shabu every night, invariably they are already paranoid.

Because a constant use of shabu for six months, almost every day, would shrink the brain of a person. And I have told you and many of you mediamen were there, almost on time to observe that they really are paranoid, sick with paranoia and they are always armed.

And even if you have a relative or a whatever, a friend who got hooked into drugs, you yourself would tell you that they will always say “somebody is following me,” that “my wife is cheating me.” Always, and these are their standard behavior and they would go for it.

So the police goes there, out. They are two or three. And of course, when you make a hostile gesture or you pull a gun, you’re always killed because the people approaching you they are ready for a gun fight and we have the backup. I do not allow my police to go there alone.

So, today, of last count, the other day I lost two soldiers who were assisting the police. This time it is the police, a day after. We lose about two policemen a day in connection with the drug campaign.

So I would like to bring in that law expert, somebody — the crawler of the agencies that law expert: “Duterte is not doing enough.” I would invite her to come and to hold his finger and begin to count the figures.

And I would ask him, compare it with the previous administration. Same deaths, but these are the innocent children being killed, raped, victims of hold-up and everything, this time, almost with the same number, but it is the criminals who are dying. You can hardly hear now of a student waylaid or a hold-up victim in a bus.

And I would warn the criminals: Do not do it. You will die. If you put up a good fight, these policemen are practiced to kill people if they have to because they are policemen, they are trained to shoot. And if you are just an ordinary, paranoid drug addict, it’s better you’ll be safe…That is the real, that is a sad story.

The Human Rights Commission, I don’t know why, but they would insist in counting the dead criminals and never made a comparison of the dead victims, innocent people, law-abiding people being killed in the streets, at the same time last year.

So come here. You are… You’re complaining that there is no process. Okay, you guys, you law expert of the United Nations, come here, come here and face me and make the accusations and I will show you the statistics and I will hold your finger and teach you how to count.

If you could not do that, be prepared to answer for my questions. And it will really be a sad story for both of us. You do not publish there with the NGOs about killing. You are publishing the side of the criminal. How about now publishing the side of government protecting people or preventing the killing of people, innocent victims?

My job, ladies and gentlemen, and of the United Nations, my job as president is to protect the innocent law-abiding citizens. I was never tasked by any law to protect the life of criminals.

Why? 15 million plus or 16 million plus voted for me. I was given the biggest margin between me and my next opponent. I got 6 million margin. So, why am I talking this way? It’s the 15 million people talking to you.

For after all during the campaign, all I said was — I have a very limited issue, program of government. Even during the debates, three debates all across the country, I said I’ll take care of graft and corruption, criminal and drugs. They gave me 15 million. At what margin? 6 million.

So that I said, I will put at stake… It’s so humbling that I said I will serve you, people of the Philippines, and put at stake, I said my honor, my life, and the presidency. Sleep on that thought and you maybe understand me better.

I was never born to protect evil. I was born in this universe to suppress evil. I was not raised by my parents, I did not go to Roman Catholic schools and Ateneo and San Beda and talk how to protect the evil doers. I grew up and taught by my parents to be on the side of fairness, to protect the good, and to take care of your country.

I am now 71 years old. I am on my way to my sunset days. If I go to hell, I will bring all of these criminals with me.

Just like what— May I repeat? It’s a very… When I was a student of law, I copied this and brought it just in, first, the cover then there’s a clean page there, then you have the title of the book and the author. And I copied it with my — the Revised Penal Code — I copied it with my handwriting.

I lost the book because there was a flood. I used to live… But that was the only house that I can afford. I lived beside the river. And all of you, you know it because you were there to cover that event. And I admire very much this man, maybe next to my father, he’s really my idol and he said: If I were to try to read, much less answer all attacks made on me, this shop, the presidency, might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best that I know how, the very best I can and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won’t amount to anything. But if the end brings me out wrong, ten angels of God swearing I was right will make no difference, I’d still be wrong.

With that message, I’d say thank you for listening and I go home.

Marami pa ba?

Q: Sir, clarification. Will the vacancies at the LTO and LTFRB include the Cabinet secretaries? Will there be vacuum of leadership — ?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Look, I cannot go after each and every one of them. It will take, I said, if I will answer all the attacks made on me. If I go there every day, I would not have time to be President and sit there and make crucial decisions for the country.

So I will declare all the position — there are the assistant. There’s always a deputy or even the first clerk, they can take over until such time I decide whether I will dispose of you or not.

But you do not— I gave you a warning, the Filipino people, stop it. I promised the people, the 16 million, I will give you a clean government. It will be clean and it would maybe, along the way, cost the employment of some who are really corrupt.

If I go there once, twice, and still I hear about complaints, and if you are a presidential appointee, meaning to say I appoint you or you were appointed by the previous president, but the appointing authority has the power to appoint and the power to dismiss, without any reason, except that loss of confidence in your ability to deliver your mandate.

Q: Follow up sir. They are saying that there’s a procedural problem and the systemic problem within that two agencies, which cannot just be corrected, sir.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: It’s a problem that’s really in the system and the structures, maybe the functioning or the aberration in the system or the flow of that work, I really won’t mind. But if you are there to commit corruption, day in day out, please get out.

Q: Hi sir. Good evening. Sir, you mentioned earlier about you monitoring some conversations made or calls made inside—?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: No, I did not. I said I heard. We do not have that. We do not have that capacity. It was done by a friendly country, which I cannot really for simple reason is that I just cannot reveal it.

You know, wiretapping in this country is illegal, unlawful and there is a penalty for that. But, if you just happen to hear and it is not to your doing, we do not have that kind of thing that you siphon from the space there outside conversations of human mortals in this space, in this planet.

Q: Sir, second question about the Napoles investigation. What could be now, sir, the fate of the senators implicated in it. Ano po ‘yung possible na mangyari given the—?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Well, I said, they might as well because it is connected with drugs.

Q: Might as well what, sir?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: They might as well allow it. I mean, I’m referring to the committee on the lower house. Itong sa Senate drugs. Ito namang ito, it’s open to corruption. Drug and corruption in government. So you might as well include it. Drug and corruption is there. So why limit? Go ahead and let the chips fall as they may.

Q: Mr. President, at the risk of being shot down, the numbers of people who are being killed on the streets of the Philippines, since you came to power six weeks ago have risen to around a thousand. I know you’re being contemptuous of your critics but they are accusing you of unleashing a national death squad. Where is this gonna end? Because some are saying that social fabric of the Philippines [inaudible].

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Good. That’s a very good question because at the other past, in the distant past, nobody was ever willing to really work and risk her life, his life.

You know, it was a practice before, that’s why I said I take full responsibility. You know why? Because they are now encouraged and even brave enough to have a shoot off. The standard practice in this system of government is that when you accused him, they would always file a counter charge, and say there is due process and that they were unarmed and anything, any answer that could give a leverage. And ordinarily and you can check this out in the courts, they are to use that leverage against the poor policeman.

Now remember in this country, no lawyer is provided for the policeman and the other men in the security officers, when they get into trouble with the law. They are left at the mercy on their own. That was a policy report and in the previous courts, they were left behind.

So when I was mayor, I told them: “Go ahead, do your duty. But if you feel that in carrying out in your duty you would get killed, my God, shoot him first.”

And they were protected here and there were cases filed and I provided a lawyer. And for the time that they are suspended, that is why they are afraid. They faced charges in court then at the same time, when they are accused, they lose the job because they are suspended. And for the time that they are suspended and the hearing of cases can take you to eternity, as low as it can ever be, the family is not without food.

Q: With respect sir, you as a lawyer know better than any of us how important this principle of innocent until proven guilty—?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Look, PDEA said two years ago. There are 3 million addicts in this country. That was the last figure. Nobody cared to find out. Now, it’s my time. So three years, two years ago, between two years ago and now, how many of you think were hooked into drugs?

Let us give it incremental increase of about, just be liberal about 700,000. So 3,700,000. And the confirmed 600,000 now who surrendered and took the test for drug addiction. How do you call it? Just a problem? It’s just a police problem? Or is it really a crisis for this country.

It’s not even epidemic, my friend. It is pandemic. So what am I supposed to do as a President? Empower the military and the police for after all they are there to protect the integrity and preserve the people of the Philippines.

Q: At the risk of gamble, sir?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: It can happen. It had… It happens in America, they are shooting the blacks there. It’s shown on TV. What’s the difference between America and the Philippines? Nothing.

So what is surprising here, is surprising to us? We say, policemen are shooting a black guy there. How many times had it happened in the past? That’s why you were the most violent. So would it surprise you and me? Almost the same. One case only, three cases there. So what? It involves the same principle. Say for every one black there dead, you have about five here. And so? Does it make this world more livable because there is less killing? When you shoot a black there dead, what is that? Is that not appalling?

When you bomb Syria and Iraq and you kill communities and you kill children and all people, and hospital, what is it? And why is it that United States is not doing anything? I do not read you. Anybody in that stupid body complaining about the stretch there of death.

Look at the iconic boy that was taken out from the rubble and he was made to sit in the ambulance and we saw it. So what’s the difference? Life of the criminal or maybe was really rub out. We do not discount it. But what do you think the Americans say to the black people there? Is that not rubbing out also?

I say it was just one community there, one state of America. Well but you have there about 10. So what’s the difference? Are we here for the counting or the basic principles of human rights? Almost the same.

Q: Thank you sir.

1. BIGORNIA: Sir, ‘yung balik tayo kay De Lima, ‘yung sa sinabi niya meron na po ba kayong mga nakalinyang or meron na kayong kinakausap na mga — to strengthen your case against her, na mga preso o warden who would testify against De Lima and are you or are your agencies making efforts to track down the driver and to get him as a witness?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: No, I will not do that. She knows where the lover is. So we leave her at that. What we have is the intercept but the intercepts cannot be used in evidence. That’s illegal. Meaning to say you can do the intercept but it cannot be allowed in evidence in court.

Nobody but — direct to lawyers says that you cannot even try it. But that was a time when we were using landlines. It’s free, it’s a free enterprise now in the advent of digital age. You can siphon any of the conversation. China is doing it, America is doing it, Great Britain is doing it, everybody is doing it with the power to listen.

They have the machines. There’s a law. You cannot prevent them. But then, you cannot use it in court because it would not be acceptable. So if I just listen and say to you, and say I cannot reveal it, you must remember that I signed an executive order without waiting for Congress the right to information. And in that executive order I allowed everybody to even — to look at the diapers in Malacanang. You have now the access to all documents to know if there is corruption of not.

And that is my desire to do away with corruption.

Now, can I now go to court and file a case? No, that is not my job. My job is in the higher, the president shall do everything in his power, to protect public interest. As president, I got this information being a privilege as a president, but I am not required to prove it in court that is somebody else’s business. Okay? So, that’s one.

The second is, I have every right now to tell you because you were the one, the media, bugging me several times. We met in Cotabato, everywhere you work: “Who is the next mayor, senator that you will reveal connected with drugs?” I said there is one. And I told you to wait because I have to do something about this first.

First of all, you have to ask the permission from the country who provided it to just mention it without naming. But that country is really also mad at De Lima. Because she’s involved in drugs. Every country is mad at — even China is — and they even execute people — Indonesia, Malaysia. Philippines I have been asking for the restoration of the death penalty,

So, if I were a soldier, I’ll give you a classic case. I am a soldier, I’m assigned at Jolo, Basilan fighting the Abu Sayyaf. I work very hard for this country. Then my salary is given to my wife. She sets up the house. Send the school children. While I am fighting to preserve democracy in this country, he knows now suddenly that his daughter got raped, that his daughter got killed because of a drug addict. Tell me now because this is really what happened. If I were the lawyer, if I were the soldier, if I go back to see the child, raped, my daughter raped dead, stiff dead, inside the coffin, and I knew that he was raped by those people. What do you think I will do?

I will ask the President’s permission? Mr. President I have to kill these people.  So why is it widespread? You know when generals are involved already, when everybody almost all of the policemen in Region 4 there are 400, all in all, 100 in the same town. 600, 100, only in one town, how do you cope up? Policemen into drugs, and so that is how you see many policemen are also killed in police operations because he does not surround himself at least he is a drug lord. So, policemen are there.

The Middle East guys, three million of our fellow human beings there, the Filipinos, one father is working in Qatar, the other one is working in Saudi Arabia. They worked their ass to death to send money only to discover during one of the rare visits that they are allowed to realize that their son is already hooked in shabu and is [inaudible] Does the lives of ten criminals really matter to me? If I am the one who’s facing the grief, would one hundred lives of this idiot would mean anything to me?

I was a prosecutor once, but if somebody raped my daughter because he was hooked into drugs and killed my daughter, my god I will kill you. Let it be known to everybody. You despoiled the body of my child, then you say it’s okay just to kill three because there are one hundred of them. Ok, I will just kill three because that is a fair exchange of lives here.

Can you make sure a number? If I were a policeman, you killed my son, If I were a soldier you killed my wife and family. Could I measure that anger by just about maybe 200 lives? Even the Americans taught us it’s good. Charles Bronson. He was, what death wish? What was the movie about? He was a cop, he was a vigilante just like Clint Eastwood. They reflect actually, they are the mirrors of life. They mirror the lives of everybody.

Q: Do you mirror Duterte Harry, sir?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: The what?

Q: Duterte Harry.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: No. In the sense that I do not believe the crusading justice there, it’s far different. Well, he has his own duty, his oath ought to protect. Mine is larger, I have to protect a country. He, is simply — he is appalled and he has pity for the fellow Americans who died needlessly in then hands of… They are law-abiding citizens, they do not carry arms because they obey the law, and yet they are waylaid, they are killed for nothing. They are being — there’s a stick up and there’s a camera there and there’s a lady going out of the apartment and she ends up dead. So on the average that policeman has a paradigm. What’s happening to this fucking city?

Then the serial rapists are sent to jail, after two years they are allowed to go out . Then they go out, they look for houses with open windows nobody is there except the daughters or children, he goes into the room, carries a child, brings her to the nearby woods and….

What is true there is true here. The mirror of life is portrayed before us that’s what I’m saying. If it’s a siege at my character, it is not an original trait. I have my faith to wallow. I’ve been telling everybody you cannot build a mission over the bones of your citizens.

But with the crisis of three million, plus the five hundred that are now addicted, what kind of mirror do you want to portray your anguish and anger? Let us be clear on that. But you might think, so what are you? My friend, I am a human being. I know how to get angry, I should know how would I get soft. I know how to pity and I know how to have a rage in me. How do I react? It all depends and if it’s my daughter I’ll kill you.

If there is an ordinary citizen… I’m privileged because what? Because my children and I we are protected by the presidential security command. Even my children we are all protected.

But I wish I could go around like older times when I was mayor. Everybody here, I drive a taxi and I wait for a hold-upper to really do the hold-up to me. Why? Because if I kill him then there would be one less kidnapper or hold-upper in the city.

I used to go around because I was really hunting for them.  But I do not go out just because of killing people. About lives? My God. Syria, six years hence suffered bombings and everything and yet you hear this UN expert that “Duterte is not doing enough”.

No ask… I ask you enough when is enough, enough? With a problem of three million addicts and in our control in our custody six hundred thousand, what am I supposed to do? Do I have the money? You know these guys, they ask, like the United Nations, why are there no — ? Why are you doing this? You know the Philippines doesn’t have that money just like the Unites States and the EU.

I came midstream. Remember that midyear, the money was already gone. I am faced with this gargantum problem of dealing with this. But the program is there, you cannot get out of that budget, its yearly. So where do I get the money from this budget? They are all programmed. If you get some money out, then you rob Peter by paying Paul.

You deprive the one departed of their money so because there is a need for that immediately. So you rob whatever is programmed for the people, you rob Peter to pay Paul for you to build…Even a matter of space, I have ordered the military to provide the space because there is really no space. If you put it at 100,000 per region, there are fourteen — there are thirteen, fourteen regions here including the ARMM.

They say that 1,000 in one region. 100,000. Where do I get the money to buy beds blankets pillows, water, building, doctors, medicines and nurses? It’s not that easy. And you worry about the lives of 600, 500?

You must remember that those who are already in shabu for almost one year, they are dead. They are the living walking dead. They are of no use to society anymore. And yet we have to sequester them.  We have to feed them because they are human beings. And we need money and where do we get the money? We collect taxes to support government. The taxes that we collected were programmed already by the previous year to run this government.

I entered the presidency halfway. So the taxes are programmed here, I cannot collect taxes and spend it. This is a democracy judiciary, legislative, and presidency all co-equal. I have to get authority from Congress. There’s no such thing as a supplemental budget and the national. No such thing as that. Then you have to wait, maybe you borrow. But then again if you borrow, you’ll need Congress.

That’s how it is complicated in a democracy. It’s not because you are president you can order immediately to stop it. How about the person who has an axe to grind? 600, 5[00], 600. How many persons and sisters and brothers are hell mad at them? Then you presume that that is the order of the police because you want to catch them all. And you think that it is only the police who are interested. Of course the police are interested — is interested to apprehend you. And maybe they would really enjoy you if you put up a good fight because the police there will not go alone. When they go there around to arrest these people, they are already positioned. So when this guy, a poor guy with his idiotic mind would pull out a gun is dead.

And that is in why every apprehension no police… God, I said, we are losing. I just lost one police today. Maybe another statistics by tomorrow I will be able to gauge with the CAFGU, with the paramilitary units got killed in confrontation with drugs.

It is flooding the country. With the help of the PNP guys, the generals, it has spread to every nook and corner of my country. As a matter of fact, and the other countries with this kind of pandemic, they would have declared martial law. That’s why Thaksin, the premier of Thailand, in one day he killed 3,000, piled them up in the truck alive until they all suffocated. The ones in the middle died because of suffocation because they were placed there and were told to lie down so they not would be able to jump out.  But I see no outrage.  Well, three, four days, maybe BBC, CNN, after that, all is forgotten.

Here, there was this child, I was still mayor, there was a reunion party in the family. There was his sister carrying the newly born child. Here comes the brother without them what was happening to this. He said “Oh let me carry my niece”. In the merrymaking, he disappeared. Then there was a frantic church, one hundred away sa river bank. The river bank, they found the child, eighteen months old with her abdominal cavity wide open. So the death of this child, two hundred criminals or at least who those who fought against the police, is there any rhyme or reason to say how about lives keep on piling? How about the child?

You know, I am forced to, not really. I’m just saying that you forget the law. Forget the United Nations, forget your outrage. It is misplaced. Now I tell you now, by what right do you have in this universe to cook shabu, feed it to my children and destroy their lives forever?

I spend money, time…. Here in the Philippines the police is eternally tied to the “5-6”. It is 20 percent percent per week. That is the tragedy of it all. So I borrow money. Every enrollment time, I go to the GSIS and it does not come because of the deficiency of this, I am also warning everybody and I said all those appointed including the heads of the financial institutions: Consider yourself resigned.

Now you go to this GSIS, you apply for a salary loan during enrollment time, it’s either no money, or it is not acted upon for three months.  Long after enrollment of classes had already start.

You know that. Some of you are — we are not the sons and daughters of well connected and had money. My mother was a teacher. She used to borrow money. The application sometimes, let alone not acted on, comes late. So we are forced to go to this Indian money lenders.

So I said, here is an eighteen-months old child, precious human being, have not sinned because she is an infant. Have not done anything any wrong doing at all, and she’s dead. And the policeman has so far of what? 400 and you grieve. Here in Syria, it is bombing everywhere, child is dying, nobody is complaining. It was not only after the child was placed inside the ambulance and that picture became iconic because it was really the result of a ruthless ruler.

If you were…You know, if you were a president and then you about declaring martial law and killing political enemies, then I would be really satisfied and happy too by answering your questions.

What did I do for this country? I release all political prisoners. In other countries they are slaughtered. We are promoting peace. We are thanking Oslo for the good offices that they are providing.

I’m talking to the MI. I am talking to the MN. But I ordered the police to crush…My order against the Abu Sayyaf, if you want to know: Destroy them. So when you are a soldier when you ask me question, “Why did you order to destroy them?” And I would say, “Never mind I would not answer you. I would not destroy your innocence in this world. Answer the question yourself.”

You carry on your business slaughtering people in front of the public. What do you deserve? By what right do you have to cook shabu? There are laws why don’t you just follow the law? You violate the law, you distribute your product, make our children crazy, now in heaven, why? Human nature. Let me lecture why, because we are poor, we cannot afford these houses where we send our parents, old parents, where caregivers, homecare.

I am not that rich, I have enough money to sustain me in the hospital and maybe the oxygen and the — but it could not last for one year. Given maybe four months, the best equipment and the best everything after that zero. If I get paralyzed who will feed me? Like any other family who will feed me with a spoon with my mouth hanging open? Who would but the oxygen for me? If get diabetes, hypertension, cancer who will buy the.. I am happy if my wife gives birth to about three, four, that’s the average for the Filipino now because I know that when my time comes to be old, they will take care of me.

You destroy with your drug who takes care of me. You destroy me in advance. Now I ask the question. Do I have the right to destroy you? In advance also so that nothing of this sort would happen to other families.

If we already have two, one son, one daughter, there’s a lot of criminals — there’s a lot of people roaming around, they have to have this fix or else the… Now, the other son is killed, my daughter is not that successful, so when I lay there dying, nobody even feeds me. And I walk the streets just like in America, there are a lot of guys, they sleep out. We do not do it in the Philippines. Even how poor we are, we do not have that much of old people roaming around because however poor we are, we always take care of our… Whatever the food is available, we give it to our children or to our mothers. We can even go hungry. Feed the child first, then if the mother or father old, already old, then we give bound we feed them. Never mind us. We can always take the leaves, put some salt there. That’s why every Filipino is sick with kidney. We use so much to tied us with taste of the food that is only us can afford. Next question.

Q: Mr. President, yeah, just to clarify all the appointed positions you just declared vacant po, all departments po ‘yan, not just LTFRB and LTO?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Yes, yes, government.

Q: Sir, including Cabinet positions, sir, Cabinet secretaries?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Hindi kaaga namang ma-corrupt ‘yan.

Q: So pagdating ng Monday, sir, declared vacant na po ‘yan, how will the government function then, sir, by Monday?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Eh, saan pala ‘yung deputy? Bakit pa ko mag- appoint — bakit pa kami mag-appoint ng assistant kung… Just like me, if I go today, you look for Robredo. That is how we work.  If you lose the president tonight, then you go to the house of Robredo and ask her to report.

Ikaw, ‘yung manager ninyo, your station manager, if she cracks up, then there is the assistant manager or the most senior. Just like that.

So what’s the problem? That’s why we have the bureaucracy.

Q: You mentioned sir, about a thousand positions po ‘yun sir?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Sobra ‘yan. Sobra ‘yan. Uunahin ko ito. I want that LTFRB to report at his convenience maybe this week.

Q: Sir, what if you’ll find out that those who are in career positions, sir, doing this — are causing these problems, sir. Will you allow them to be transferred?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Hija, if a rule is enforced, it must be enforced against all or none at all.

Q: In GSIS, sir, you haven’t appointed a GSIS manager yet, how will this affect the situation, sir?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Well, I’m really in no hurry. Next line na sila, nandito pa ako sa undersecretary. There’s always one appointed every day.  Di naman ako nagmamadali.  There are departments and agencies na hindi ko pinalitan simply because the performance is at par with the rest of the best of the employees there.

Q: Sir, another issue, 12 midnight, ceasefire with the Communist Revolutionary Forces took effect —

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: When will it start? Tonight?

Q: Ganiha, tonight.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: You know. I…Motu proprio, I declared the ceasefire first but I lifted it because I thought that there was no way we can…Because despite of my declaration, some soldiers were waylaid and some died. So I must confess that I was disgusted so I lifted it.

Now that they are imposing the ceasefire, I will have to ask the military. Are you safe around already? I will have to ask them because they are the ones dying for us. We can adjust the — go away with — without consulting.

I lifted it but they knew that it was coming. I mean they knew that I was thinking about — because I wanted to show my good faith, that was all there is it to it. I wanted to show good faith and declared a ceasefire. But somehow, along the way, soldiers were being killed in ambuscades everywhere.

And so I got fed up, and I said, you guys, if you are not willing even to just avoid each other, what I would have wanted them was really just to avoid each other so that there will be no violence. Problem is, I said, the soldiers were killed, along the way, and I said, no.

Now, as to whether when I will declare the ceasefire, I will have to consult the defense secretary and the commanding generals of the Navy, Army, even the Police, Air Force, I would tell them: Are you safe? Or would it be safe for our country now to declare ceasefire? Vis-à-vis with the government or with the Communist Party of the Philippines because if I feel that it’s not, then it’s not high time really to do it.

Give me an assurance, what I would like to say really is for the two panel — government and the Communist Party — already talking over substantial issues. No problem with me.

I said: To show good faith and that we wanted really peace, desperately, for this country. And I have been successful in convincing, guys of the MI and MN to just come to a negotiating table and talk. So my problem now is the Abu Sayyaf, who has been…You know every time Abu Sayyaf does that thing, you put to shame the country.

And I can only, since I am the President, I can only suffer that much. I hope I do not have to order to destroy them. But there will be no negotiation, no forgiveness, no nothing. Crimes against humanity to [inaudible].

Just like in the Middle East, they burn 20 women simply because, they refused —- she refused to have sex with them. If you place me there, then that scenario that you are afraid of, that I will do, will really happen.

If I were a commander of the forces there, my orders would really be go in and you go out. I do not want to see anybody standing there. Given that kind of situation. You know, the biggest hullabaloo here is the drug problem.

That’s what I said: Who gave you the right to cook shabu? Feed it to my family. I will ask again the shabu people, who gave you the right, for those crazy guys, what have I done to you as the father of the child or the mother? What have we done to you? Why do you do this to our children? Anong kasalanan namin? Anong nagawa namin sa’yo? What have we done to you? To do this to me and to my children and to my daughter and to my son who is already crazy.

Remember, I went in warning everybody, I said, it could be bloody because I knew that the police would now be equipped with a certain mindset, that they will be protected by law if they go in and have this, you know, you have this violent confrontation because before they were afraid of this human rights, and a lot of them, lost their jobs because they could not even have a lawyer to defend themselves.

You know, your Philippine Journalism knows that. You know very well, that it has happened and it will happen but not during my time. If you are a police, you are into kidnapping, drugs, look at what happened.

So you end up dead. Because you are a police, you have armed, maybe nobody does would give a hoot, whether you are dead or alive. I told the police and that was my statement: You will be the first to get it. Because there will be a confrontation because I will insist on the police to go after you.

Time was that — nobody really wanted to do it. Remember, I was not yet, sworn in as president. There was this party in Pasay. They distributed drinks that was a deadly mix of chemicals. Five young men and women died. So nobody was really, except for the reporting, nobody was there to order. And I got mad, and I said, and I said: Putangina ninyo.

You just wait if I become the President. You will prepare to move out because I will assign you to fight with the Abu Sayyaf, or feed you to the mouths of Abu Sayyaf if that it what it takes.

And so these officials, these LT, regulatory bodies, be prepared to be assigned in Jolo or in Basilan. I was there. So nobody moves there without a gun. And so you deserve the ambience. Enjoy the environment. You have only yourself to blame for being corrupt. I told you before, I was very empathic: Stop your drug now. Stop corruption now or you will suffer.

Do I have to make myself more clearer with that? Maybe next time, you fight something, they’re dead, and the police said that they were just carrying a shootout. I just have to take their word for it. Anybody was not doing…I said I’m reminding you of that Pasay incident, before I got mad, tell me now who was operating there to solve the crime.

Sige. If you ask the Pasay, they said that it is the jurisdiction of the narcotics. And if you ask the PDEA, they said, it’s the police who were within there. You see how they were fucking the Filipino? Nobody would take jurisdiction and nobody would…And I said, God, or maybe because it was the police themselves doing it. And so nobody was interested because they would not fight.

If general was there, just like Loot. How can you be effective during the time of corruption of Loot? He’s a Police General, he’s a millionaire, he’s enjoying, he’s wallowing in his filth. He has his riches there and he has a filed a statement of assets and liabilities, one hundred million pesos. What is your business to have this one hundred million? Those are the declared. How about the undeclared? The liquid cash, those stored in your basement.

So, how come — what’s the use of the police? Because the police were not there and Loot said, anybody in my region conducting a police punitive operation regarding drugs must report to me first. So when the police went there inside the warehouse, nobody was there, there were the residue of the — taken from the drums of the precursors of shabu.

So, drugs flooded this country and that is why we have three million. And that is why we have now in custody, six hundred million and still wondering what to do about it.

Now, there are countries offering to help. And I appreciate it. China has said: We will help. I said, thank you. And then they said, just point out the place and we will help you build it.

So, I told the Chinese, we will remember you for all time, for the things that you’re doing for us. They were the first country to offer it actually.  Let me be very clear, they offered only the materials that we will use. Do not connect it with the other topic that we were discussing earlier. You know sometimes journalism can take…

Q: Mayor, I just like to go back to the ceasefire topic.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: It’s a long way again, going back. So we will travel again.

Q: Okay.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Ask me, okay.

Q: Mayor, kasi po. Nag-declare na rin ang kabila, ang Red na ang kanilang sariling unilateral ceasefire effective today, August 21. I just want to here a comment from it — from you po…

PRESIDENT DUTERTE:  It is not yet 21?

Q: 21 na po.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Ngayon?

Q: Opo.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: (looks at his watch) Your watch is, maybe, made in…

Q: Sir, China. (laughs)

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: No, China is good. Maybe made somewhere in, let’s put Africa. They have not yet mastered the art of time-making.

Well, I said, I was the first to show good faith. I would insist that it was my only intention there. And I was reciprocated by a lot of ambuscades by the Left. I really would not know whether it is true or false.

As of this time, not my — but the soldiers, at my command, actually, the soldiers are operating still, in all places in the Republic. I still have to, this time, I would consult, I said the military and the police. It could only be proper kasi noong nag-declare ako ng ceasefire, namatayan sila. So napahiya ako. Sabi nila, “Tingnan mo mayor, pa ano-ano ka kasi diyan. Tingnan mo ngayon, namatayan kami.” Ganun ‘yan eh, so it’s a matter of — at the end of the story now — it’s a matter of sincerity. Is it for good? Is it true?

Q: [inaudible]

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: What?

Q: [inaudible]

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Well I said, I have to see two groups talking together, in a table, facing each other, talking about substantive issues. One that could promote rather than divide this country.

I am willing to walk the extra mile just to …Even if the only one I would be able to ano siguro, I would be happy to retire, I will retire. I said go ahead, I’m urging everybody, go ahead with the federal seat. I told the congressmen there. Madaliin ninyo, go ahead and — I have a six year term granted by the Constitution.

But if you can arrive at a consensus and give us a setup within three years of federalism, then you have to elect a President of which I would be disqualified under that. I would give way. No need to give me a transition period. After three years, I would be happy to retire. I said, I’m here to offer my honor, my life and the presidency itself.

Q: I would like to ask if the Dapecol has been investigated for possible operations of illegal drugs? Recently, there were three Chinese detainees killed. Were they involved in illegal drugs?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: So, well, I do not know. I do not know even a report that there were Chinese killed.

Q:  Will there be any investigation, sir?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Of course, where is it? There’s only… When a person dies or persons die, there has to be an investigation somewhere. Where is that? Ah, ‘yung ano?

Q: About illegal drug operation in Dapecol, sir.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: There is no drugs there. Penal colony? Sa Muntinlupa lang ‘yun. Baka nag-riot siguro. Wala, wala, walang ano diyan, wala sa penal colony.

Malayo ‘yan, walang operations sa drugs ibang… Well, operations but not emanating from there. One thing is sure; I can tell you now there is no shabu being cooked in the penal colony, Davao, ha.

Q: [inaudible]

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Well, gustong pumasok pero sabi ‘yung nagluluto?

Q: [inaudible]

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Ah wala, hardly, hardly. Maniwala kayo. Paano naman mai-deliver saan man? It’s not being manufactured here. Baka siguro gamit yung puslitan pero that would not be enough really to cause a riot there somewhere. There has to be some other reason but I’ll ask the police there.

Q: Okay, sir, going back to the Left po, with the historical release of the Tiamzon couple when can we expect more political people to be released and kamusta na ba talaga ‘yung relationship between the government and the Left considering na binawi nila ‘yung support against illegal drugs?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE:  Bakit? Kasali ba talaga sila noon din? I have not heard of any accomplishment by connect — carried out by the communist against the drug people.

The closest that I can really link drugs is what happened in China before. When opium was sold to the Chinese population by the British or the exclusive franchise of …They were a lot….They took a lot of money to correct that because a lot of Chinese were also hooked into opium abuse, addiction. Itong sa, ano ‘yun si Tiamzon?

Q: Political prisoners po, when will we expect more…

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Hindi ganito ‘yan, tama na muna ‘yan. I released 20. Now if you think that I will release all prisoners, NPAs already in custody, ‘di huwag nalang tayong mag-usap kasi released naman sila. Ano pa ang baraha ko? Wala na.

O di, peace nalang. Tutal na-release naman kaya, ‘yung man kaya ang gusto ninyo? So what is there to talk about? The only thing is that when is the time of surrender? Do you want this Republic to surrender to them or the NPAs and the communist surrendering to us?

No, I will not release…Iyong key personalities, the Tiamzon, iyon ang nagdadala e. They are really the ones there.

Q: Sir, everybody is asking, can you see an ano, away-bati relationship between the Left and the government, kasi parang ganun ‘yung nangyayari?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE:  Left and?

Q: And the government and you, your administration parang away-bati relationship ‘yung — medyo naggaganun?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Okay lang. Madami naman akong sundalo. Ano ba ang problema nyo? May eroplano ako, may Navy ako, Air Force, may pulis pa ako.

No, no. I was… I will really very comfortable with the Left. And are you here in Davao or from Manila?

Q: I’m from PTV po. I’m Lala Babilona from PTV. I replaced the other reporter.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE:  You’re now based in Davao?

Q: No po. For 15 days, rotation.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Well, because if you’re a Davao journalist, you would know that I would go in and out of… I usually bring… The Cabinets would always invite people from the media to witness the turnover of a captive soldier or wherever I just want to be there to talk to them.

The last time that we had really a confrontation; it was a shouting match many years ago. But, Inday, the mayor, had hers also one time.

Komportable ako. Well, not really. I said I am a… Left-centered ako.

I believe in the aspects of socialism. The problem with these NPAs, they are socialists by spirit but the problem is they organized a party, the Communist Party of the Philippines, with only one objective: To seize power by armed struggle. That is not acceptable to me at all.

And I said, I told them that there was this party that they were trying to organize right after Aquino won the presidency and it was called the Partido ng Bayan. Well, I and Bebot Bello went there to join because we said, we believe — our philosophy, ideological lines run along that line, socialism.

But when I noticed that the hardcore were coming in, I told Bello na, “We better get out. It’s not what I really wanted for my country.” So hindi talaga ako pwede diyan sa ano.

But we are comfortable with each other because when we talk, we share the same passion: land reform. I mean, lifting the — you know, contractualization, all of these things.

It’s despicable to me to be changing… Sabi nila the only justification is marami itong trabaho because another set of…Huwag nalang kasi I do not want to… It was a stupid theory. There was no security of tenure for Filipinos.

We spend millions to train them sa TESDA. And then we find job for the first time as a carpenter, the next job they will get is electrician. So when he was programmed to be an electrician, he ends up being a driver.  So he does not acquire the expertise that he was trained for. At expense of government. And then even when you go out of the Philippines, they always say, it’s a two years experience. So…

Q: Mayor, last lang. Just point of clarification [inaudible] restoration of unilateral ceasefire —

PRESIDENT DUTERTE:  Yes, sa August 21.

Q: So, ngayon, 21, mayor…

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Ay hindi niya inano, kahapon pa ‘yan.

Q: So restored siya, sir?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE:  That statement was given yesterday. Ba’t August 21 na ba kahapon?

Q:  It will take effect on 21, 12 midnight.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Kanina?

Q: As of now effective na siya.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: I have to talk to the Armed Forces and the police. Sila yung namamatay e, sila yung nakikipag-away e. Tapos hindi mo bigyan ng importansya. Yes?

Q: Sir just a follow up again on the phone calls. Can you just at least describe the conversation, sir, that transpired.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE:  No, of course not. I only listened to it once, and I but what I mostly heard there: Lover’s talk. I am sure you will not be interested to hear it because chismosa ka talaga pagka-ganon.

Q: Sir, I just have a quick question, sir.  On the Napoles case that you would like to have —

PRESIDENT DUTERTE:  To revisit?

Q: No, sir. To have a second look on it, sir.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Revisit, I said.

Q: How do you plan to start it, sir? Thank you.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: What again?

Q: Yung Napoles case, sir. You plan to have a second look on it as you said.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE:  Yes, let us revisit. Maybe I’ll have something for the Filipino, too. Kasi alam mo ang hinahabol natin dito graft and corruption. I thought we were agreed when you voted for me. I know you voted for me.  Because, because, basta because. Because lang.

I know you voted for me, and our deal is that we stop corruption, drugs, and criminality. So it is just maybe, well, the Pandora ’s Box really is itong kanya. She started to say na you could have just go ahead with your — bakit pangalanan mo pa ako? Or “Duterte, you follow me. Sundan mo itong imbestigasyon.”  So I followed her.

Now, I stumbled again on ito, e ‘di isali mo na sa imbestigasyon ito because it was when Muntinlupa was open that drugs came and out of the national penitentiary. Whether it was made clear by the driver tur amo, but if that money was passing hands, masyadong bobo ka naman, di ‘ba, saan man galing itong perang ito?

Parang sige lang, basta wala akong alam dyan. Ganun ‘yan, e. Just the usual, bahala na kayo, basta ako, walang alam.

So itong driver, sabihin niya that I’m afraid that I will be called to testify. Bakit ka mag-afraid? Afraid to just tell the truth or maybe afraid to just tell a lie? Which is which?

Sabihin niya totoo, magkabulgaran na. Sabihin niya na sinungaling, ‘pag mahuli siya, he goes to jail again. So ano ang takot niya? Afraid to tell the truth or maybe to deny the truth?

Sabihin lang patawag ka, e ‘di sige. Ano ‘nung mayor ako di ‘ba sabi nila gusto nila imbestigahin sa Congress? Go ahead. Call me and I will, see you. What’s wrong about giving orders to shoot-to-kill?  I did… I cannot give an order to shoot but be sure that he is alive. Crazy. Or, shoot, but make sure that he is alive. And then the police would just say, I’d rather shoot you mayor for giving us such stupid instruction. Wanted, dead or alive, yeah. If you die there and you are wanted ah ok. If you are alive, then explain to me why you did these things.

You cannot blew it it by just…Those words were not invented by the Filipinos, remember.  Those words were invented by the marshals, the cowboy marshals of the United States: Reward, shoot-to-kill. Then we copied it, we are bad, they are good. They never made an apology for teaching us the words, “shoot-to-kill”, “reward”.

We got it from the movies and then sometimes use it against the terrorists. He is danger and they say that be careful because he is a danger, he has got firearms.

Susunod-sunod lang tayo ng Amerikano tapos tayo ngayon ang masama. You gave the orders to shoot-to-kill. Yes, because the Americans use it, why can’t I use it? They taught us English to understand words, so I understand it to be this way: “Shoot-to-kill”. Or maybe I will just make a deviation there. Sure but be…Shoot, but be sure he is alive. If he’s dead, you get this into the newspaper then, UN will come again and..

Much more, ayaw ko din kasi because you know, you do not do that because you are interfering in the sovereignty of a country. I’m now really very serious. Do not take away by just giving a stupid explanation because you are infringing into the territory of the sovereignty of the country. What would it be to you if I go to the UN and start lecturing to the employees there?

You should do this, you should not do that. And when you say, “hey guy, this is the UN, this is the United Nations.” And so? Are you really united?  United Nations. When was a United Nation ever really united? They could not control America, they could not control Russia. They could not control the bombings, they could not even plan of how to….

The problem with this UN is they send the UN troops to protect the population. So the war goes out of control. So there’s a little fighting, they started and then the contending forces they come in and fight a real war slaughtering people, and they are not able to stop it.  So the United Nations starts a war, but does not know how to end them. That’s the problem. Alam nila kung paano mag-umpisa ng giyera, hindi naman nila alam kung paano tapusin.

When Iraqi was being invaded on the very slim excuse that there were weapons of mass destruction, they were not able to stop the United Nations.

Maybe you’re guessing guys, the truth has really come out. There was none at all. So what happened to the country? They United Nations never stopped it. It allowed a war to start, now they are climbing here and there to stop it.

And you come and interfere in my country because there are now criminals killed or even people killed. There is not even a judicial finding that these guys were innocents or these guys were really the gangster.

And you just count the bodies there and then say that you know, the United Nations must come in. My God, do you really know what you are doing? Isinali pa sa ‘yo yung Presidente to give a word because you rely on the NGOs and there is a lady there, who keeps on also prodding people. Pilipina ‘yan, nandiyan sa United Nations, nagbibigay ng intriga. Tapos, eto namang newspaper na pickup.

How many people were killed by that 600 or three million drug addicts? Do you have the count? We have.  How many? More than the criminals that are killed today. And who are these victims? Wives, workers, students? And yet you only know how to count correctly when you are counting the carcass of these dead criminals. Cannot even a hard — a kind language or sentence of those who have died in the wake of a drug problem, as serious as the Philippines.

So the next time you issue it, I do not want to insult you. But maybe we’ll just have to decide to separate from the United Nations. E kung ganun kayo ka bastos, putangina, e umalis na kami diyan sa inyo.

So take us out of your organization – you have done nothing here, anyway, also. When were you here the last time? Never. Except to criticize. You do…Food world? Where’s the food? There’s the world, but there is no food. World hunger organization, maybe.

When have you done a good deed to my country? We are contributing money. So I said you remember, okay we go out. And I would invite everybody. I would invite maybe China, the African, they have not been able to stop it, but all that they may list. Why don’t they just form another organization? Why do you have to listen to this stupid….

Threatening me with what? You want me to go to prison? I said there are three things there: I honor my life and the presidency.  Do not shit with me. Automatic kaagad ang ang…

Q: [inaudible]

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: US? Yes, because we have never been a member…

Q: UN, sir, UN po.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Ah, UN, the joke is on you. You have to refund me with these so many contributions that we have made all these years. Isauli ninyo contributions namin and we will go out. We contribute a certain amount for the maintenance of UN, right? Oh, you return the money to us and we will go out.

With that amount, I can build so many, rehab centers all over the country. But there was a time, I think, that a few countries really contemplated of going out. One was China, I do not know what is inside their minds now.

Huwag ninyo akong ano, you know, because it’s an affront, when you do that. If it is really the Congress or the people of the Philippines would say that I am not doing enough, I would verily accept that.

But you do not just throw that kind of allegation or statement without coming even here to just — relying on the reports of the newspapers.  That’s what you do, fucking, that’s what you do, newspapers and these tabloids.  And you make criticisms, against the…

Remember that I am not a mayor anymore, I represent the country. Kindly do not do it. So I’d like to talk to that said, alleged, expert of the UN. I demand that he comes here or if you want, we can go somewhere else with preferred country. Let him talk to me, and let him face me with hard facts, not newspaper clippings because na…

Unless it is edible. You do not do that to…Just go around insulting people. You now, United Nations, if you can say one bad thing about me, I can give you 10. I tell you, you are an inutil. Because if you are really true to your mandate, you could have stop all these wars and killing.

Five hundred thousands already killed. They go to call my attention, e nagpapadala ka diyan sa mga NGO, NGO. Mga newspaper clippings and critical, all you do is to read, editorials. What have you done for the world, Mister United Nations?

At ‘yang tao na ‘yang expert ninyo…Let me… You now, if he comes here, you tell him, “Mayor Duterte would ask only five questions to prove that you are stupid.” Only five questions. He will just ask you to answer five questions. And he will prove to the world that you are a very stupid expert.

As if I did…You know you must remember, baka akala nito, I took AB Foreign Service. Check it out with Lyceum. Political science, then I add another one because I had an accident a motor accident, one of the many, na-late ako ng isang semester. So my extra time, I took foreign service. Consular practice and procedure, geopolitics, world trade, international trade.

Baka akala ninyo. Putang ina. Uy mga ulol. Let’s have debate. Hindi nga ninyo ma-enforce, enforce mga order diyan; hindi ninyo matapos-tapos ‘yang patayan. Then you worry about the lives of criminals, with the bones of the criminals piling up and so, how about the bones of the other guy on the side? Those who were killed innocently? Had we not stop it.  So, the count will continue in favor of the criminals.

Just imagine, kung hindi — had I not been elected president. And the top narco-general was the military aide of a presidential candidate. What would have happened to this country?

Gentlemen and ladies, it is already three o’clock, in the morning, and if somebody knows the song, all that I ask of you, (sings) it’s three in the morning, please let me go home.

Q: Sir, hindi po ba magkakaroon ng serious repercussions po ‘yung statements na binigay niyo about UN just now, sir?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE:  What are repercussions? I don’t give a shit to them. They are the ones interfering. You know what, they should have started it with the protocol.

No, you know, they would have sent somebody to talk to me or at least the rapporteur. You do not just go out and just give a shitting statement against a country.

What repercussions? You have fallen short of the protocol needed for respect.  And you want me to respect you? You’re must be a shit.  Dapat ganun, President na ginaganun mo, ‘wag mo munang ipadala diyan. Do not criticize immediately.  Itong si U Thant naman, how do you pronounce the word? He should have written me a letter. Addressed to the Foreign Service: “Mr. President, can we have your…”

My performance as a mayor has nothing to do with it. These are recent events na ang bastos hindi ako. They should suffer the repercussions.

You have not followed the basic rudiments of courtesy and protocol. Kayo ‘yung bugok, hindi ako. I studied my laws very well. Look at my records, sabi sa ‘yo, look at the subjects that I take — consular practice and procedure, international law, international trade and everything.

Baka akala ninyo gago ako. At least sabagay, hindi kasing gago mo. Tell the United Nations: You observe protocol because if you do that directly, you are addressing yourself to me remember that I am….I do not like to say it because I wasn’t to be called mayor, still.

I am a President of a sovereign country.  Sabihin ko sa’yo, sina , meron ba silang representative dito? Tell him straight. Bastos ka. She is an American? Indian? Chinese? Ano, Filipino? Oh what?

Tell this American: Show your respect first. Show your respect. Because sabihin ko, let’s start to criticize him. Why are you Americans, killing the black people there, shooting them down, when they are already on the ground?

Answer that question because even if it’s only one or two, or three, it’s still human rights violation.

God damn you tell that to that American, there or better still, tell him that I will pay him a visit if there is time.

You just tell me where I can find him. Sabihin mo: The mayor is asking where he can see you, ako ang pupunta doon. Tangina, gago, ulol.