Speech of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte during the Commemorative Session

and Concert Program ASEAN Law Association Governing Council

[Delivered at Rizal Hall, Malacaan Palace | 25 October 2017]

Thank you. Kindly sit down. Salamat po for the courtesy.

May I just make some acknowledgements? For my President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, maam good
afternoon; Excellencies of the Diplomatic Corps; Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and other
members of the Cabinet; ASEAN Law Association President Atty. Avelino Cruz from San Beda. He is our
icon because he topped the Bar at 20 years old. He was not allowed to take his oath of office because they
have to wait for one year. The law says 21. And so is Atty. Medialdea.

The heads of delegation of the ASEAN Law Association Governing Council; Chief Justice Kifrawi Dato Kifli
of Brunei; Chief Justice Muhammad Hatta Ali of Indonesia; the Association Secretary General Regina
Geraldez; members of the ASEAN Law Association Council; ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Secretary General
Isra Sunthornvut. I hope I have pronounced your name correctly but if I didnt kindly accept my apologies.

Former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban and other members of the Supreme Court of the land. They are
here. Some are my classmates; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

To be frank, I was hesitant when I was about to enter the room through the main walkway. I entered from
the other side because I was given a two-page speech which I could finish in about a minute and a half.

It would not befitting the assembly of distinguished jurists and lawyer. So I Maybe I can read the
penultimate paragraph to do justice to the guy who wrote this. Im sure that hes a member of the legal --- I
dont know but this is And its supposed to be read by me and I will read it but this is not mine.

I therefore call upon ALA to continue providing opportunities for the meaningful exchange of knowledge
and information among lawyers from ASEAN nations.

Let us work together in instilling upon your members the best practices in the profession so that they can
become crucial players in building a stronger and more dynamic regional community.

It is my hope that ALA would become instrumental in addressing the regional scourge of poverty,
transnational crimes and terrorism so that we can create an environment where businesses can flourish
and our peoples can live in lasting peace and prosperity.

And then, I say thank you to you. But not yet because [laughter] Im trying to formulate something which
I can talk with you.

Now, Im a lawyer. Im a graduate, together with --- in 1972, the class of 72 during martial law time. And
that was the first time that the law examinations were moved from October to November.

And so with the former Secretary of Foreign Affairs Perfecto Yasay. He was a fugitive and that is why I can
understand the --- really He got out of the country, sought sanctuary in the United States because he
was wanted by the Armed Forces for rebellion and every [inaudible] was lumped into in that kind of
conspiracy.

But may I just --- I know that I have been demonized. And well, of course, I will assure you upon my oath
as a lawyer and before God that some are true, some are not.
And the extrajudicial tag that has been placed on me is simply not true.

I have been a prosecutor for almost eight years doing trial work almost everyday to earn my keep before I
became mayor.

And this is really what happened in my city. Find me a wrong if you can and tell me about it after this
program.

I was elected mayor in 1988 of Davao City. It was then a topsy-turvy place. It was where the killings of
police and military men and other civilians and barangay leaders all connected with government were being
slaughtered by the New Peoples Army.

And to add to our agony was also the rampaging crime. If theres a breakdown in the law and order, all
guys with evil intentions are into it.

But when I became President, I just said that --- to the NPAs, I do not want to have a war with you. We
have been friends because sometimes we share the same values in life.

As for example, land reform, the sharing of wealth of the nation. And I was very strong in the social approach
of the problems of the city.

And I found allied sentiments with them and I was quite a bit identified as a leftist. If you mean a leftist that
is an NPA, would fight government, that is not my position.

I said that I will not kill a Filipino just because we do not agree with each other. And for the life of me, I was
crossing the ideological borders. And that is why we remain to be

Sometimes we attack each other. But at the end of the day, we find time for forgiveness and they always
wanted and until now to resume the talks between government and me.

And I told them, you now, in the past, its all politics. When you are just a mayor, you do not carry the burden
of compass direction for anybody except for your own city. And it is always the votes that would count.

But as President now, I carry the burden of governance and as a democracy. I am here as the President
now and my main or fundamental duty is to protect the people and preserve the Republic of the Philippines.
Nothing else would matter.

And when I won as mayor, I was able to talk sense to the Communist Party of the Philippines but I was
having a hard time dealing with criminals.

And so I said, you know, I am not a soldier, I am not a policeman, I am here tasked by the people to build
a city.

Kindly, most kindly, do not destroy the community with your continued depredations. Do not destroy the
young people of the community because they are our only assets.

And I said, I, I, I But I told the police, Now is your time to do the right thing. Now, about the only reason
why there were rampaging criminality before and even I was mayor was because the policemen were
hesitant to enforce the law.
You know, much to my dismay as a lawyer. The leverage being use, and you know that, judges and even
the Secretary of Justice knows it, that when they are charge, the one whos criminal raping and killing and
everything, they also file cases against the police.

And invariably, the one who is being arrested by the police would have the money to finance a case.

But sadly, the Republic does not provide any lawyer for the policeman. They are on their own, until today.

Well, better this time because if I think that you committed an act for which you are presently being charged,
but you can prove to me that it was done in the performance of duty and you have to save your own neck,
you have to save your own life to preserve your life, then go ahead and I will take care of you.

And that was the rule. And I said to everybody, remember this: Policemen were afraid to apprehend. You
know why? There was no protection at all from the local governments.

But since I was a prosecutor and I have seen so many cases fall because of the absence of a policeman
or a policeman bought or a policeman was a coward or a policeman does not really care about his work.

And so I required every policeman when I was a mayor to attend hearings and testify in court to secure a
conviction. And that was my habit. When I was a prosecutor, every time, a case is called, The people of
the Philippines versus Juan dela Cruz. And the judge would say, Ready? Mr. Prosecutor, I said, Sir, I
do not have a witness for today.

And if this continues for about a number of times, the case would always be dismissed on the ground that
the accused is entitled to speedy trial.

And if the case is called thrice and you do not have the witnesses, the case goes kaput and leaves the
policeman hungry because when a case is filed against a policeman, a peace officer, or a law --- he is
suspended that day and he loses his salary and there is no food on the table and there is no money for the
children to go to school.

That has been my experience as mayor and as a prosecutor doing trial work. That was a reality on the
ground.

So when I became mayor, I had to do something with my mouth. And I said, I would kill you, if you destroy
my city.

If you keep on distributing drugs and that would destroy the future and he becomes just like a zombie with
no direction and a wasted life. And if you do it in numbers, I will kill you.

Make no mistake about it, I will kill you.

And that is the rule when I became President. And during the time of President Arroyo and during the time
of President Aquino, not their fault, but there was this flooding of drugs in the country.

Little did we realize that as early as four years ago during Aquinos time, we had already become a narco
state. Because as it is now, most of the barangay captains or the barangay captains are the heads of the
most basic government unit.

Its the barangay then the municipality, then the city, the province, then the regional offices and then you
have the national government.
And that was a very sad thing to realize. And I know that every time my case is dismissed, its said there
because there is no policeman to testify or that the evidence that I was holding, which was supposed to be
shabu at that time, when it was seized by the police during an arrest, turned out to be just an alum. To my
horror and embarrassment and was --- the harsh words of the judges. I know that you have a temperament
and everybody was busy and the penchant sometimes to just berate a lawyer in front of people.

And those are the sorrow --- sorrows that I had to deal with. So I said, Do not do it in my city. But I did not
tell any policeman, for the life of me, to kill just everybody perhaps sitting down or kneeling in front of the
police with his hands outstretched in surrender. That is really murder.

And every policeman gets an education of two years. When I was a prosecutor, to augment my income,
because I already had two children, one then is the mayor now of Davao City, my daughter. I had to teach
Criminal Law, Criminal Evidence and Criminal Procedures.

I am sure that there never was a time that I said, Go out and just kill the criminals. Its always been, Go
out, do not be afraid. I will support you.

And even during the time when I became the President, I went to Camp Crame, same speech and I said,
Go out, hunt for them then if there is a confrontation, ask him to surrender.

But if he does not submit to the custody of the law, the requirement is the police officer must overcome the
resistance and if that resistance is violent, and the police thinks that he is going to lose his life, my God,
shoot him.

That was the same lecture that I was giving when I was a law professor of the Police Academy in Davao.
Now, find me a wrong in my statement, when I say, I will kill you if you destroy my country. I will kill you if
you destroy the young of my country.

I am asking everybody to find me a fault in those two statements. I have always stressed that the only time
that you can kill a criminal is when your life is also in danger or youre about --- self-preservation.

But you know politics and the fake news that some of the They invited the events and they gave 4,000
dead. Me? For the 22 years that I was mayor, I would say easily, 600, maybe, it could reach that number
and all because of police encounters.

The problem is, they always think that the shabu who ingest, you know, inside is a chemical that is They
say Some experts came here from America, my God.

Here is a precursors. [shows papers] 2014, its the International Narcotics Control Board, United Nations.

Here are some of the pamphlets:

Cannabis: Cannabis is a tobacco-like greenish or brownish material made of dried flowering tops and
leaves of the cannabis. Thats poppy.

Cannabis resin or hash is a dried black, brown secretion of the flowering tops of the cannabis plant, which
is made into powder.

Theres a Every drug is characterized by its [inaudible]. But it says other effects: Cannabis smoke
contains 50 per cent far more than high than the cigarettes, which could put users in an increased risk of
lung cancer and other respiratory disease.
Cannabis changed my brother Its a story, testimonial. And this is a United Nation publication and I can
maybe reproduce it. Someone gave it to me.

And it says: Cocaine is a fine white or off-white powder that acts a powerful stimulant. It is extracted from
the leaves of the coca plant. On the street, it can be diluted to cut to other substances to increase the
quantity.

Crack is cocaine that has been further processed to ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and
[looks like small flakes or rocks].

Risk: Mixing cocaine with alcohol is dangerous, cocktail, and can greatly increase the chances of death.

Now, because I will explain. Theres the Ecstasy, its stimulant. It says sexual stimulant, they say.

And we have heroin here. And heroin, the other risk of heroin is that users risk overdosing on heroin, which
can lead to coma and death through respiratory depression.

Shabu, methamphetamine. It does not come from a poppy, unlike cocaine, heroin or the other effects. It is
a combination of deadly chemicals.

Methamphetamine is part of a group of drugs called Amphetamine-type stimulants. It is a synthetic drug

that usually --- that is usually manufactured in illegal laboratories.

Methamphetamine comes as a powder, tablet or crystals that look like shards of glass.

What are the risks? Methamphetamine use sometimes triggers aggressive, violent and bizarre behavior
among user.

And so, when I asked the police and I said, I declare war. You know why?

During the time of General Santiago, when he was the chief enforcer of PDEA, the Philippine Drug
Enforcement Agency, he said there were about three million affected Filipinos, contaminated with shabu.

During my time, I declared war. And many of you Filipinos saw it on TV, peoples surrendering by the
hundreds of thousands, that at the end of the year, I took my oath of office in June 30, so I started to work
July.

At the end of the year, we were able to make an accruing count of one million three hundred additional drug
addicts.

So my country is now reduced to slavery. A good portion of the population are slaves to a drug called shabu.
And shabu Overuse of shabu or constant use of shabu, six months to one year, shrinks the brain of a
person.

That explains the aberration why they are violent and sometimes very aggressive. So most of the victims
who were killed and according to the bright guys of this country and the oppo --- the political opposition, the
guys who cannot accept defeat, theyve been invent --- they invented the fake news and concocted figures.

I do not deny that there were people killed in that campaign. But what they say is Why are they killed?
Because a shabu user or a lieutenant of the shabu syndicate has always a gun.
And that is my experience when I was mayor. And sometimes I am there to watch, sometimes I participate.
They always fight it out.

And this document of the United Nations, who until now is in denial about the problem of the worldwide use
of shabu.

Now, there is now a less use of cocaine, heroin and all, because you get it from the 14 --- the Golden
Triangle, Burma, Cambodia and that --- they call it the trail of the shabu merchants.

And in South America, you have to get it, the poppy, all from the neighboring countries, they have to travel
and there is much risk because of the so many countries and the so many checkpoints that you have to
pass.

While if you just cook shabu, where you are and you can cook it, just create something which is smelly,
piggery or a poultry, and that deadens the peculiar smell of shabu. And you can cook, the precursors are
there. Its a report of 2014 of the United Nations.

So now, the question is, why is Duterte enforcing the law only against the poor people?

Let me tell you now, here and now. The market of shabu is the poor sector of society. Because, you know,
the rich people, they dont really go crazy at one time or that --- that easy. They use it sometimes cocaine,
but they are the rich people beyond the reach of the law.

They have their own yachts. They can go around Manila Bay or some of my friends who are really --- whom
I know to be into it, they ride up in the air using their jets and they do the session.

So those are the rich people who cannot reach the price of cocaine and heroin. But shabu, one sachet is
only P200,000. If you --- P200 rather per one sachet, thats a small plastic.

Sometimes you do it everyday, then thats about P6,000 per month. You times it twelve months, Im not
good at Math.

But you derive something like times 12, that's about times 12 million --- that's about P260 billion industry.
Money intended for the Filipinos circulating from their sweat of --- by working at the same time being a
shabu user.

Why the poor people? Because it is being peddled and distributed amongst the poor people. You cannot
go to the plush subdivision of Forbes Park and start whispering to the guy: "Hey you want?"

Now, I will solve the problem, the riddle for you: Why are minors being killed? You know in this country, 15
below they do not incur any criminal liability. Our penal code before provides the crime time something like
below nine, no criminal liability and that is correct. I agree with it.

Then above nine below 12 if there is malice, as for example a little boy who steals for food or maybe clothes,
we can look beyond it. But if this guy, this little boy starts to molest --- molest a girl or a woman, certainly
there is malice in it.

Then the law says above 12 but below 16, whatever the crime, there's always the Indeterminate Sentence
Law. Here's a catch, he is my friend. I do not deny his competence. I do not deny his honesty. But if there
is one single person whose responsible for all of this criminality, when that law took effect, it is Senator
Pangilinan.
Why? Well, Ill tell you. They go abroad. They travel. Then they observe penitentiaries and maybe in the
State of Washington not DC, Washington State, Seattle, or the Juvenile Offenders' Law of New York. He
copied the 15 year olds below, no criminal liability.

But he did not provide for after the arrest mechanisms. He could have done it by making a law that would
make everything compulsory.

After the arrest, that boy has to be placed in a halfway house or facility to learn more about criminal
responsibility or even the sense of accountability.

And he says there is an SW --- the social workers. The social worker in my city has no grills, has no doors,
it's open and they are there brought and they can go out everywhere.

If you ask any policeman now when you go out, that is the sad story of the Philippines. Once a teenager is
arrested or a minor and he does not --- the police does not even bother to bring him to the station.

If he says that hes a minor Because if he detains the minor, he goes to jail. It is now the police who'd be
facing charges.

And that is why you hear me with a bad mouth, with a foul mouth. Do you know why? I could not even think
educated people and the other --- guys from the other party understanding the whole story or the reality on
the ground.

So it --- I sometimes do it on purpose just to say Like the European Union, they do not say that they are
giving aids, they denied it, but they are. They are.

So when Sonny Dominguez, my Finance officer says, theres a plan to give us. I said: "For all of the
European Unions, say no to them. Say no. We do not need that I said, Sonny, we can survive as a nation."

But you know, you do not tinker with the sovereign nation --- with my sovereignty. Because when they give
aids, they impose conditions. And sometimes they have been critical of me. And even United States,
Obama openly criticized me.

And the fact is which is really the practice, some progressive alliances from the EU would come here to
take a look. But they look only on how many persons allegedly killed by extrajudicial process. They don't
even bother to see why were they killed?

Wala, basta pagdating lang dito o --- these are the numbers of persons already killed. And they start to
blurt out about me being an executioner and all of these things. When as a matter of fact, I never, never,
never ordered any single policeman in this country to say just kill them without any reason.

And that is why to my dismay and chagrin and for placing me there as if I am really something but demon,
I retaliate by just dishing out epithets, curses and whatnot.

Because everybody now wants to believe and the only count there were 10 Look at the news of this new
--- they would just say, in the Philippines there were 10,000 people killed. And those were invented. And
even if I Who was my victim? You said 10,000? Where did it happen? How did it happen? What weapon
was used? They could not even answer that. That's part of due process.

Even you are --- you ---- you accuse a person of killing or committing a crime, use your place there. Rolando
Marquez died by They just count and according to the newspaper there is 10, 000 killed. Is that all?
And you want me to be nice, to be courteous in my mouth. You just count the number of dead? You know,
I am appalled by the I don't know if they have Something is wrong in the grey matters between their
ears.

He should have asked: "Why were these persons killed? What could have been the reason? What was the
cause?" Then I would tell you that I have now a million addicts. And the police now are working because I
told everybody on TV: "I will never, never abandon a police who kills a person in the performance of his
duties.

It's always work and his life. If he is working and his life is in danger --- the family losing the breadwinner
for after all they are human beings.

Why should you only worry about the deaths? I have lost more than 200 policemen in the drug war. I have
lost soldiers more than the police. Because in Mindanao, when you make a raid there, you are met with an
M-60, a bazooka, or an RR repeating rifle, it's a machine gun, it's a powerful gun.

How did the Marawi siege start? If I may ask you? Do you know? It was started because the police went
there to serve a warrant of arrest of one of the Mautes for drugs. When they went there to serve the warrant,
they were met with the volley of fire, they had to call in the marines.

And you know what? The marines crossing that Mapandi Bridge there, all died by sniper. It was an open.
And my fraternity brother from San Beda also. Hes a Maranao like me --- my lola. He will tell you that they
were really sitting [inaudible]. Then why did it [take] us almost three months going to four months to end the
war? Because they were prepared.

And why did it [take] us almost that --- that long to ---? Because they were stocking the weapons and the
shabu were all there in the tunnels.

Now, they say that, "This Duterte is only going after the small fry." Really? When I ordered that operation
against Parojinog, the mayor of Ozamiz City, I didnt have the second thoughts about, you know, what will
happen. Because I knew that he was going to fight it out.

Why? Because there is no election. You ask a judge or a prosecutor from Marawi. Was there really
democracy in that city? For the longest time, there was no election. You ran after him, he will kill you. The
policemen who disagreed with him were also killed.

So when the government killed him, we started to dig and we found the bones of the policemen still in their
uniform. And so we had to take him out. I said: "Go and take him out!"

He was a criminal. And in one of the houses, they destroyed it already but it was shown on TV, his house
was almost a palace and the wallpaper of his palace and every Filipino saw it on TV --- it was shown there
--- the paperwall of his palace was 500 pesos bills currency of the Republic of the Philippines.

So The Mayor of Iloilo City, I identified him, this is broadcasted nationwide, I said, "Your next. Your next."

But after the mayor of --- Espinosa of Albuera, same thing. He shot his policemen in front of the people in
the market because they would not obey him. And he has killed so many people.

Shooting there No election. Its always terrorism. No democracy was working in that place and the
freedom of the people to choose their own leaders was really absent.

And you want me to be nice to you? You kill police officers and you act I do not blame you. I called for
them in this room in three batches. There are so many mayors and I said, you know, you be careful.
I said, Do not do it because I will go after you and probably, if I have to kill you, I will kill you.

And that is what I said General Loot. He was a military man at that time, but he just retired. And the idiot is
now the Mayor of Daanbantayan.

And they said, Why do you have a SALN of 100 million? And he said because he was a successful
businessman. Well, successful businessman in dealing drugs. He just omitted the last phrase.

As President of the Republic of the Philippines, I have to protect my country at all cost. Maybe whatever
your rights under law will end when the interest of my country begins. Sorry to tell you that.

Do not ever, ever mess up with my country. We will never understand each other.

Now, how --- whats the role of the minors? Why is there an adult and a minor? Well, because the adult is
the distributor of the place. And the runner is the minor who does not have any criminal liability.

So when he is arrested, he is freed immediately. Immediately. Dont ever think of that --- that they are sent
to No such thing. Believe me, Im telling you.

The moment they are arrested, you saw several of those snatchers which was taken by a video in EDSA
grabbing necklaces, bags and everything and they ran. And theres a drama on TV that they were arrested.
You didnt ask them, What happen to the arrest? And they would just say, We released him.

Pangilinan says there is DSW --- social worker. It aint true my friend. You are there. You have been always
a senator. Ive been dealing eyeball-to-eyeball with this problem as mayor, as a congressman, back as vice
mayor, then mayor again. I should know my business.

Now, look. You dont arrest. What I told them was to destroy the organizations. Believe me, shabu or the
distribution of drugs is always organized crime.

It can never be one where you pick up like peanuts or buying candies in the sidewalk or buying something
which the itinerant selling cigarettes there whenever there is a stop in the traffic. It is always an organized
crime.

Theres always the one who would cook, there are the lieutenants who would distribute and there are the
peddlers who deliver.

Now, what about the minors? Well, some minors are also hooked into drugs. And they refused sometimes
but not all the time.

You know, minors. You hold them and they would even pull. So sometimes, the police have to overcome
the resistance so that you can be brought to the station or to the judge to answer for your misdeeds.

Eh minsan they suffer hematomas there in the struggle and the following day after they are released from
the They are immediately released.

They go to the doctor, have examined, and after that file a case against the police. And sometimes the
obscenity of it all is that they are the ones milking the police. Give me the money and I will withdraw my
charges against you.

Do not ever think that everything is in order in this planet. Please. Always, we have been taught theres
always the evil and the good. Do not presume goodness all the time or this country will sink.
I Thats why before we have rape, it is only the time the advent of drugs that you seen infants one-year-
old, 18 months old. They just pick them up roaming around and taken into a corner, a building thats vacant
and theyre found dead.

And when they commit a crime, they rape the blind mother, rape the daughter, then stab the one-year-old,
pati yung one-year-old pinakialaman pa.

Now, if you are the President, how would you feel? Then how now you would --- the sense of responsibility
of preserving the Filipino protecting them.

Look, everybody knows that when I assumed office I fired nine generals from the police, four being linked
to drugs. Who do you think killed so many persons on the streets? Me?

I never ordered an operation because I was wary all the time. Who is the police who is honest, who is not?
I studied the landscape for two months who to place there. But the killings started.

You look at the statistics. Even before I became President, two weeks before I became President. There
were already killings. Ten a day, five a day.

Look back. You can scroll it in your --- its very easy now. Scroll it back and you will see the number of
persons dying or dead even before I assumed the presidency. Who do you think did it?

So that is my case. That is my summation of my innocence if you may or my guilt to the others. But that is
how I operate because I am tasked with a very onerous burden of keeping the citizens safe.

Why? Remember, there are two million Filipinos working abroad just to earn money to send to their children
for food and education. Remember that.

Sometimes you hear them. I will not mention the country. But this is not the first time that they are there as
domestic helpers jumping out of the door, being raped, being killed.

You know, in some countries, if you are bought from the slave markets of Africa or you are doing domestic
work but paid, you are a fair game for sexual abuse by the head of the family by the son, by the daughter,
by the brother-in-law. And they swallow their degradation almost every day just to earn a living and they
send money to

And the neighborhood guys there know who has the ready money. Who among these youngsters would
have the money. And they would target these children, these young guys because they know that they
receive money. I said its the community who is poor that is the center of gravity of illegal drugs.

Shabu thrives in the poor communities. It is not a problem for the rich people, because the rich people know
that they would go crazy. All you have to do is to read. In every characterization

It is only here in shabu which says that you go violent and this comes from the United Nations. And this
United Nations, they send investigators here to just find out how many persons were killed.

And so thats why I insult them and the EU. Why? Because when they go out, they make a statement that
in the Philippines they were And they follow the line of the opposition and those --- and say that there
were 10,000 killed, even make it 20,000.

According to the [inaudible], there are 20,000 killed by extrajudicial killing. Son a Son of my cousin.
[laughter]
Thats why I said you Thats why I have a foul mouth because They come from EU. And how can you
be so ignorant and short of understanding?

It is a social problem. If it is a social problem then begin by saying that there are deaths, but why are there
deaths in this country? What causes the bedlam?

You just dont come here and say, How many dead? Oh, this is enough. We will trumpet around the world
that And threatening me with prosecution before the International Court of

Go ahead. No problem. But just give me an audience who are educated. So thats why --- It appalls me to
learn that they can be so stupid about it. That did not --- almost an ignoramus.

See in all of the characterization, it is shabu, methamphetamine. The effect is --- sometimes triggers
aggressive, violent and bizarre behavior among users.

It is not enough to put them on notice that there is something terribly wrong here.

That is why with the Pardon me, sir, with the Senator Angara, I appointed him as an envoy to EU. Hes
been trying to explain to them. But I said to them, If they listen to you, sir, fine. If not, then
they can all go to hell.

Thats what I said to Obama, You can go to hell. Why should I not tell him that? He was berating me in
public, his State Department usually, publishes the report of extrajudicial killings.

But how about the millions already dead and the millions who are hooked into the drugs permanently? Oh,
how about them? How about the fathers, the sacrifices, the OFW breaking their backs working, sending
money only to realize after so many years working that their sons and daughters are not humans anymore?

It is a social problem, they say. So treat it with the --- correct. But there is also a crime. And me, for the
benefit of all, poor and rich alike, this is what my oath of office says that I will enforce the law against all,
does not say rich or poor.

And in organized crime, we know that if it is an organized crime it is always a conspiracy. And if there is
conspiracy, the act of one is the act of all.

So when I say, Destroy the apparatus of the drug syndicates. You have to destroy all, because you enforce
the law not only against the rich.

Unfortunately though, shabu thrives in the poor communities. Otherwise, why would I waste my time here?

I said I am a President. I am not a soldier. I am not a policeman. I build a nation. But you know, it has to be
a nation run by the rule of law.

Tell me now, what is my sanctuary in the face of all this onslaught against the people?

Do I kill innocent people? What will I get? You think God will like it? I will ask you.

Duterte how many person did you kill? You know my count is, I said when I was mayor, more or less I
can give you a rough figure, God, its about 600.
Oh, how about in Manila, it says 10,000? You know God, if its really 10,000 and they are dead, why dont
you ask them? They are here already in hell. And youll get the true answer. And you say, Why are you
dead? Whats wrong with you? For what?

Very easy, I am not afraid of the wrath of man. I can always explain my duty. If my duty fall short of the
expectations of the people or would have a different view of how things would be run, Ill accept it. I can go
to prison even.

What Im afraid of is the wrath God. Its always God that counts. Not the God of some religious people here.
Maybe you have different gods.

My God does not allow youngsters to be raped and to be killed. My God does not allow shabu to thrive, to
destroy peoples lives. My God says that I have to do something because God says that you were elected
to really serve the people.

And if I go down, I will go down. If I go up, I go up. I place myself in this. Whether I go up or I go down, I will
do the things which I have to do because it is my work.

And I am a worker of government and I serve the people of the Republic of the Philippines.

Thank you. [applause]

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