This is just an informal maybe not really scheduled meeting with you because first of all they mentioned the heroes of our Armed Forces, I’d like to give them a snappy salute and all the recognized officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Sir, sumasaludo ako sa inyo.

I have with me my party Secretary Lorenzana; the Presidential Adviser for Military Affairs, General Tabaquero; Presidential Assistant Michael Lloyd Dino, who has done a great job here; General Eduardo Año; Lieutenant General Oscar Lactao, dugay na mi amigo ani ni Oca; Lieutenant General Glorioso Miranda; Major General Jose Mirandilla; Police Chief Superintendent Noli Taliño; and the officers and men, personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the National Police.

Meron akong prepared speech always pero two pages. Baka gipanggutom na tang tanan gadali hasta ang gabuhat ani.

Well anyway, in behalf of the people of the Philippines, the peace-loving citizens of this country and government, I would like to extend to you ang among pasalamat ninyo.

For remaining true to your mandate as officers and men of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and really there in the field trying to fight the enemies of the state to preserve our nation, the Republic of the Philippines.

Alam mo maraming tanong itong — daghang istorya ning Marawi na kesa matagal na, bakit hanggang ngayon? Alam mo ang sabi ko sa press kanina doon sa Subic, if I really want them to do it I can finish the job within 24 hours, tapos lahat. All I have to do is to use all the air assets of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, bombahan ko lang ‘yang Marawi na ‘yan and I will flatten the place, tapos ang trabaho.

I mean, itong mga terorista… I’m assuring the Republic, not you, ‘yung nakikinig na mga citizens of this country, maliit na bagay lang ito. Kayang-kaya lang ito ng ating gobyerno.

But you know what hampers us is the fact that we cannot fight just like the rebels also kasi tayo we are mandated to preserve the country and the people.

Kaya if we fight like the terrorist, tapon ka lang nang tapon ng granada diyan without the regard for any human life whether women or children or old people, eh kung gawain natin ‘yan eh ‘di tapos ang giyera.

But you know we have to crawl, we have to lie flat for so many hours and my soldiers even endured so many days sa isang mechanized — I think it’s a V-150. Eh magtiis ‘yan sila ng ganun.
And they cannot just fire at will at all people because we are government and we are bound by rules. We are bound by agreements and we are bound by treaties. And even without that, we should know that we are fighting fellow Filipinos.

Ang problema dito, the present itong what used to be a Muslim nationalism. Kasi nga naman 1521 pagdating ni Magellan diyan sa Leyte na ‘yan, Islam was already in place in Mindanao. Kaya nahirapan noon panahon ng Amerikano at sa atin ngayon.

But you know we have only one country. I’m appealing… Ako kasi I am a half Maranao, half Chinese, kasi ‘yung lolo ko Intsik. Ang sinasabi ko, we do not want to kill. We are trying to govern a country as peacefully as we could. Trying to develop kasi matagal na tayo because graft and corruption really destroyed this country at walang nangyari sa bayan natin.

So I am very strict on that. Eh kung wala lang naman sanang away na kagaya nitong contamination ngayon ng ISIS.

Itong ISIS pati ‘yang lumaban diyan kasama nila, you know I cannot… I was asked if I could negotiate. I will tell you now, patayin na ninyo lahat ng hawak ninyo hindi ako makikipag-usap sa inyo.

Nagpunta kayo dito naghanap ng gulo sa Pilipinas, lalo na kayong mga foreigners, you are the extremist guys, you do not want to do nothing with the world except to kill and destroy. Eh kung ‘yon ang gusto ninyo ibibigay ko talaga sa inyo.

I will not negotiate. Wala akong pakialam kung anong gawain ninyo ngayon diyan. You do it because pagabot ng panahon kung nakakaintindi kayo ng Bisaya, I will not spare your life.

You know there’s really — it’s just to kill you. Wala akong… Basta… Iyan ang gusto ninyo pumunta kayo dito, you rebelled in Marawi ang sakit sa akin kayong mga p***** i** kung saan kayo galing, you went to Marawi started to…

Alam mo ‘yang Maute brothers they went out of the country and they trained there. Iyong pagpunta ni Hapilon diyan sa Mindanao Central, was really part of the plot matagal na, kaya ko sinasabi matagal na. Itong Maute na ito, they were funding the terrorism in Mindanao sa shabu, That’s why pinakamalaking shabu nandiyan sa likod ng bahay nila diyan sa Marawi. Hindi lang naipakita sa media eh. But ang sabi ko nga sobra-sobra ang suplay ng shabu.

Almost… If there are about 10 users, they were producing something like 30. So nandito sa — lumakas dito sa Visayas. And actually I identified the city sa Iloilo as the hotbed of… Kasi hindi ko pa masyadong nakapkap ‘yung sitwasyon.

Ngayong nabasa ko na, nabasa na ng intelligence, talagang sinadya nila ‘yun, purposely to fund the terrorism and create trouble, and to establish a caliphate.

That cannot happen dito sa Pilipinas. Whether I am President or not, the Armed Forces of the Philippines would never allow you to do that.

Sabihin ko na lang sa inyo na kung magpatayan tayo, this is a rebellion, this is not a united front of armed men fighting each other. Pareho lang rin kayo sa NPA, this is — just look around and you are there in the corner.

Pero itong full-scale invasion ninyo sa Marawi, we will deal with you as we would like to deal with any terrorist.

Kung pumunta kayo diyan, makipagpatayan, ibigay namin sa inyo ang gusto ninyo.

Kaya lang sabi ko, I have lost several policemen and men sa Armed Forces kasi we are bound by rules. Alam mo, kung hindi bitawan ko na lang ‘yan, dumating na ‘yung dalawa to complete the 12. We have the 12 already.

Sabihin ko lang, bombahan mo ‘yang lahat. Eh ’di tapos tayo. But you know, we have to save lives, we have to save innocent people because we are a society of civilized people and there is a governance here.

Nagpipigil-pigil lang ako, so timpla-timpla lang muna tayo. We fight it’s a — just like a police law and order thing.

Pero kung sabihin ninyo na you’ll try to come here to terrorize and establish your order, ah my order really is to shoot you and to shoot you dead.

Kaya sabi ko nga, pagka binaril niyo sa ulo, isali na ninyo ‘yung puso or double-tap na lang para sigurado akong wala akong pakainin na preso sa mga p****** i**. Saan ko ilagay ‘yan?

Anyway, they will be detained in places where they committed the crime. So they committed the crime of rebellion doon sa Lanao, ma-problema pa ako ngayon kung saan ko ilagay ‘yang jail na ‘yan.

Maya’t maya, nandiyan ‘yan, umaatake na naman to liberate the prisoners there. Eh bakit ako magsayang ng panahon? I have to reveal Marawi, and it is really a thing that could be addressed to the innocent civilians.

Kaya kayo, kung hindi kayo sigurado kung saan kayo, tumabi muna kayo. Tumabi muna kayo kasi at this time, it’s too late to be talking about peace.

Marami na akong patay na sundalo pati pulis. I will not talk to you. Ah anong sabihin ng mga tao, mga leaders nila, wala akong pakialam. Kaya kayong nandiyan, lumaban na kayo nang husto, kasi ang order ko talaga, dalhin ninyo ang ulo ng mga p****** i**** ‘yan.

You started the ruckus, we did not ask for it, you were all along brutal and cruel. At hindi ako papayag ng ganon. Kayo lang ba ang marunong mag —?

So ‘yung mga haka-haka kanina about — talking about peace, forget it. I am not ready to talk to any terrorist.

Magkaubusan na tayo diyan. Marami na akong mga sundalo na… Hindi ako papayag. We have crossed the bridge of rubicon, ika nga. Hindi ako aatras diyan. Mag-ubusan tayo diyan, para matapos. And if you want to invade another city, fine.

I will not… Nandito sa NDF. Again, they offered to fight. Ang sabi ko, ‘not at this time’.

By the way, before I left for Davao the other night, I had a talk with Misuari, si Nur. And Brother Nur offered the MILF. Sabi ko, ‘Brother Nur, if you have still able-bodied soldiers of yours, I am ready to integrate them into the Republic of the Philippines Armed Forces of the Philippines. Wala akong problema diyan.’ Sabi niya, ‘I will ask my people na two, 3,000.’ Sabi ko, ‘sige’.

And I am offering even… Hindi naman tayo magkalaban ng MI. But if you want to work for this Republic, tutal mag-away tayo, magpatayan, iisang bayan lang ‘to. So if you want to join us, you are also invited including ‘yung mga regulars ng NPA.

I was once upon a time a prosecutor and I did the inquest for all of the rebels in the area of Davao.

Iyon namang nag-surrender na mga NPA, sila [Joy?], sila si — they did well. They did well. And they earned medals for themselves.

So lahat ng mga NPA, I can also take you in just bring the guns, palitan ko ng bago, and you’ll be enlisted in the Armed Forces. And you will also be provided with the buildings so many in Davao — Davao, Zamboanga, I think it’s in Iloilo and Cagayan, I am building… It’s going on right now. Sa Davao, we just had a groundbreaking kami ni Chief of Staff pati ni Delfin.

So kaya ninyo ‘yan… I am building about mga dito and try to every province may mga 100 — 1,000 units kayo per province, ‘yung para sa inyo.

Iyon namang sinabi ko doon sa Bulacan, inagaw ng mga tao, puro Pilipino naman tayo, at saka alam naman talaga nating mahirap. But they are just being led by a rabble-rouser, eh doon sila nakikinig, hindi naman natin puwedeng patulan ‘yan.

Ang sabi ko sa mga sundalo, ibigay na lang ninyo at gagawain ko kayo ng bago, this time bigger, mas malaki ang sabi ko sa ano, mas malaking space. If you want more a few meters, square meters for comfort at gagawin ko.

Wala kayong problema sa aking panahon. You will get what you want. At hindi na ako bibili ng secondhand. Itong mga…

I just cannot make it public, my disgust with these Americans. But lahat naman sabihin nila magtulong, pinagbibili naman sa atin. Hindi ‘yan libre.

We are paying and we have some helicopters that are not working well. And I have the suspicion that we had a bad deal there.

Sabi ko kay Delfin na ‘wag nang magbili ng secondhand. It’s either magbili ako kung saan-saan, mura, pero ayaw ko nang magbili ng secondhand.

Not from any country, not from America, not from China, not anywhere else.

At saka ‘yung mga baril natin, well, meron tayong sa China. But you’ll get the best of… Wala kayong problema sa akin, sa akin ‘yung mga boots, ganun. You tell your commanding officers and I will remedy the situation.

Iyan nandito si Oca, amo ko ‘yan, matagal kong amo sa Davao ‘yan. Kaya kung makita mo, magkita kami biruan kaagad. Just like General Año, or most of you who have been around there sa tour of duty ninyo sa Mindanao, kilala man ninyo ako.

I am not that really vicious. Pero itong ISIS kasi because maraming… T***** i**** ‘yan.

Eh kasi we are curtailed by our actions eh. Gobyerno kasi tayo. So pasensya na kayo. We cannot just say, ‘sige, magwala kayo diyan.’ We cannot do that.

Then it would not be a country or a Republic deserving the status of a sovereign power. Intindihin lang ninyo ‘yan, but hindi talaga ako papayag na madehado tayo. Lalo na itong… So the next time you encounter these idiots, kill them.

Wala akong silbi sa kanila, wala rin akong panahon magpakain at wala akong pera.

Pero sa akin, whatever you need, ibinibigay ko ngayon. Kung anong hinihingi nila para sa kapakanan ng sundalo, I really, immediately, inuuna ko na.

So you will have about 10,000 more troops and if we can get an agreement with the Moro National kay Nur, wala namang problema eh.

Iyong dating nag-integrate sa kanila are performing well and they are — wala na akong nakitang major flow of the decision of the leadership before to take into the service ang mga rebelde.

They have been loyal to the Republic and they have fought well. Nur Misuari wants to join us. Nur Misuari realizes that it would take a process, a long, long process to arrive at peace. But we will do that.

Iyong leadership ng politika, sinabi ko, we will carve out a new territory for them. And this is because of the historical injustice na hindi naman natin gawa.

We went to Mindanao, tatay ko, a lawyer, never expected na ganun pala ang nangyari sa bayan natin.

Not even the cadastral lands are given freely setting aside ‘yung mga Moro na kanila naman ‘yung lupa originally. So these are the injustices that can be addressed.

And by going federal, kung ayaw ng Pilipino ‘yung buong Pilipinas, then we get a new structure for Mindanao. That would be my task for the next five years of my administration. I just hope that with your help…

Ako, I am not asking for any personal loyalty, remember that. Whatever I do, I do for my country.

I am not asking any particular loyal — sabi loyal. Just remain true to the flag, to the Constitution, maligaya na ako. Never mind about me.

Ang sabi-sabi nila na ‘yung ganun, paalisin ako, coup d’état. You don’t have to do that. You don’t have to fight with the PSG. That is your soldiers.

Sabihin lang ninyo at aalis ako. Itong Gabinete ko puro na… Eh kung wala ‘yung sa Marawi General Año by this time could have been the DILG.

Nandiyan na si Roy Cimatu, nandiyan na si Delfin, nandiyan si Secretary Tabaquero. Hindi na kailangan kayong mag- coup d’état- coup d’état. Dagdagan ko lang ng opisyal ‘yung iba, eh ‘di kayo na, inyo na. Kumpleto na.

Hindi na tayo kailangang mag-away ng… That’s silly. We work for the Republic. If you think that I cannot carry the job well, just tell me, for after all, we serve the people.

If you think that I am doing a disservice already, tell me, and we can always make an arrangement.

You do not have to kill me. You will get nothing kung patayin ninyo lang ako.

Matanda na ako. The remaining years of my life, just like what you do, dedicate it to the service of my country.

Daghang salamat. Maayong gabii ka ninyong tanan. [applause]

—END—