Q: …Challenge them in your speeches. Can we now hear from you a message for the residents of Marawi City, 250,000 something who were displaced? What are their assurances about rehabilitation? What are they going to have? Those who returned… 

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: That is… That is sampung questions already.

Well, we had known along the buildup here in Marawi. That is why if you were tracking me, my statements in public was that “do not force my hand into it” ’cause there were already terroristic acts including all — also victims were the innocent men and women and children.

Ang Pilipinas, ayaw kasi, medyo complacent. Pero sila sa military pati police, wina-warningan na ako na it has become critical in Mindanao. 

Alam mo kung hindi talaga bobo ‘yang mga oppositors, you know you have to declare martial law in the entire Mindanao kasi wala ito… We are not separated by waters and they can always seek refuge because apparently nandito karamihan wala namang Kristyanos, all Moro from Mindanao. 

So even on hot pursuits, they would go running towards Lanao del Norte or going down to Basilan, kaya kailangan mo… Kasi bakit mo i-martial law ang Marawi lang? Eh kung kagaya ngayon nagtatakbuhan na? 

You have to pursue them and if they are ordered, they might just ought to be terrorist states, bomba dito, bomba doon. Mahina kasi talaga ang grap — ang ano ng… You have to grapple between the naive or a pretended naïveté.

This is Moro land ang Mindanao. It is not just a land of opportunities for all, Christians and everybody. So ang sympathy talaga niyan magbakbakan, ‘pag nagtakbo yan, in all direction. 

And that is why you have to declare the whole of Mindanao. Kung hindi ba naman mga bogo , p**** i**, hindi makaintindi ng ganun. 

Q: Specifically po I was asking about your message to the residents of Marawi who have been displaced, who may not have homes to return to?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: We are, I said, it is in the pipeline. Long before, sinabi na namin matagal ‘to kasi nakapwesto na silang lahat. They were already deployed on vantage position. 

Kumbaga sa away ito, umaakyat ang mga sundalo ko na sila nasa on top of the mountain. So ang target nila nasa baba, ‘yun ang Armed Forces. 

‘Di marami kaming patay. Hindi ko naman akalain na ganun kalala kasi now lumabas na si Baghdadi mismo, the leader of the ISIS has specifically ordered terroristic activities here in the Philippines.

Wala naman kasi tayong away and we are having a quarrel here purely fueled by nationalism ng Moro. And we are trying to correct it with the MILF. We didn’t want to fight.

Eh sabi ko it’s not a good thing for a President to declare martial law, especially I’m the second President only in modern history to declare martial law.

I am not proud of it. I am not happy with it. But I have to call the soldiers in because they were already occupying a definite territory and governance really has collapsed there in Marawi at saka they were already flying the ISIS flag. Nawala na ‘yung…

So ngayon nakita na ninyong Pilipinas. Ang problema nito ‘yung spillover. That is why we have to declare martial law in the entire island of Mindanao because they can run everywhere and anywhere, and they can always find sanctuary and solace kasi distributed tayong lahat. 

There are Christians in Jolo, and there are Muslims in Davao, lahat hanggang Abra. That is why it’s not a good thing to fight. 

I’m appealing to the Moro — ‘yung Moro na — ginagawa na nga natin eh. We’re trying to fix it by talking to the MI and I’ve been talking to Nur Misuari. As a matter of fact, he even committed his troops to fight in Marawi. Sabi ko, “huwag.” Kasi ano kayo eh, puro kayo Muslims. Huwag lang muna, hayaan mo na lang.  

So government is the neutral party here. So kami, hayaan mo na lang kami. It has nothing to do with religion. I refused to believe that it is religion that fueled this war. It never has been and it is not now.

Q: So those who lost homes…?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Meron kami, sabi ko kay Jun, when I was mayor of Davao City siya ‘yung sa housing ko, “prepare a rehab plan for Marawi”. Unahin ko lang ‘yung mga bahay na ‘yung mga mahirap. Iyong mga malalaking building, hayaan mo na may pera ‘yan pero there will never be…

I will promise you there will never be cooking of shabu in this island of Mindanao when I am through.

I have ordered the military and the police to strike hard against the drug people kasi kasama na sila sa rebellion. Ang rebellion was financed by drug money. 

Iyong remittances sa abroad, hindi masyado malalaki, tinignan na namin sa mga – you know, remittances. Ang pinakamalaki nga, napunta pa doon sa pulis. Alam mo kung sino ‘yan? ‘Yung babae na pulis na traydor, si Nobleza. She was receiving on a regular basis, money coming from the Middle East. Ganun katindi ‘yung walang-hiya na ‘yon. Traydor.

Q: President…

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Yes?

Q: Zea po from Davao Today. Sir, ano pong thoughts niyo on the participation of the US troops dito po sa Marawi?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: I am not aware of that until they arrived. When I declared martial law, I gave the powers to the Defense department. Hindi ako nakikialam because it is purely — and we follow the opinion of Justice Mendoza.

Q: Sir, wala po ba itong effect doon sa pinupush ninyo na independent foreign policy sa bansa?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Gusto ko nga sana eh kasi may giyera eh. And we are not that powerful. Maybe we do not have the technical expertise to do it. 

That is why itong mga Philippine Army natin, most of them or all of them, nag-schooling ito sa America. So ito talaga ang sentimento nito, pro-American, pro-American talaga ang mga sundalo natin, that I cannot deny. Iyong away ko sa America, hindi ‘yung Amerikano, ‘yung p***** i**** Obama na ‘yon.

Q: Sir, Independence Day po tomorrow, may nakikita po ba kayong, ‘yung pong target ng government na mabawi ‘yung Marawi from – sa mga kalaban?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Mabawi naman, ma’am. Alam man ninyo ‘yan? Meron na except for one or two buildings there. Snipers. Iyon lang ang tatapusin. But ang sundalo, they’re there in Marawi na.

Meron lang dalawa, two buildings with snipers. So until now, pati nga bata tinamaan eh. Pero let us not make this a joke na ganito lang kasimple ang…

Just imagine I lost how many soldiers? [Someone says: “58”] You see. And you say that silang mga — ‘yung mga oppositors. I lost 58 yesterday soldiers. Add it to the growing numbers already. Tapos ganun lang ka-simple ang tingin nila na.

They better… Maybe sila kasi sa Luzon okay lang sila eh. But ilagay mo ‘to dito sa Mindanao? Make him establish a residence here in Marawi and in Zamboanga and Jolo, tingnan natin.

Madali lang kasi magdaldal, magpapogi. It’s very easy to, you know, criticize. But history has shown na ‘yung nagki-criticize, ‘yung noon Liberal sinasabi “corrupt”, “corrupt” si Arroyo ngayon sila, o tignan mo ‘yung six years eh ‘di puro corruption. 

Q: Okay. Maayong hapon, Mr. President. May tulong na po ba tayo mula sa mga ASEAN countries at may tulong din po ba mula sa China at Russia?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Wala, wala. I have not done that. I have not made an appeal. I said I did not even know that the American government has been providing technical.

Kasi sabi ko ‘yung mga sundalo natin galing lang lahat… Almost all officers will go to America to study about militaristic thing. Kaya meron ‘yan silang rapport and I cannot deny that.

But I said my quarrel with the — is with the State Department and Obama noon who was reprimanding me in public as if I were a federal employee.

So pagdating naman sa kaibigan kong si Trump, si Donald, sabi niya: ‘Tama ka. God d*****. Wala kang mali diyan.’ O so sino ang sundin ko ngayon? Paiba-iba ang kultura nila. All the changing values of America, I really do not know.

So we better stick to our own… Kaya ako wala akong… Totoo ‘yan, I never approached any American to say that, “Tumulong kayo.”

Maski wala man silang tulong. Siguro meron man. Ako, nagpapasalamat lang rin ako nandiyan na rin it could save lives. But to say na…

Kaya man natin. Kaya natin. Sabi ng mga sundalo, “Kaya natin ’to.” O kita mo gusto mo nang bumalik o. ‘Yan, bantay pagbalik ‘yan kay may galit na ‘yan.  Hindi ‘yan mag-atras hanggang hindi mawala ang ulo. Oo.

Sabi ko nga sa kanila huwag na ninyong ano ‘yung — bigyan ko sila ng baril. Huwag ninyong…

Q: Para sa kanila?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Oo, sabi ko magiwan ng dalawa. ‘Wag kang mag-surrender kay kung mag-surrender ka, puputulin rin ulo mo.

Iyong bala na last, para iyo ‘yon. Ganun ang… Kung ako, ganon ang gawain ko. Hindi ako mag- surrender nang buhay. Ganun rin mamamatay ka rin, bakit mo ipahiya ka pa sarili mo?

Pero ito matatapang ‘to. Babalik ito mga next year ganyan may sugat na naman, pero matatapang eh.

Kaya ako, ‘pag mag-saludo ako, you would notice I would — bumaba ‘yang kamay mo kasi kung mag-saludo ka ng Presidente, mauna talaga ang Presidente magbaba.

Pero itong mga idol ko… Iyong isa doon maraming anak o. Tapos sabi niya, “Ilan asawa mo?” “Dalawa, sir. Ay isa lang pala, sir.” [laughter] Sabi ko, ikaw bata ‘wag kang mag-ano ha kay pareho ang sakit natin. Malaman ko kung nag-lie ka kagaya ko.

Pero itong Marines matatapang ‘to. Kinatakutan talaga ‘to pati lahat ng sundalo. You are brave enough to fight any war.

Ito Carolyn, sabihin mo doon sa mga tao mo sa bukid, batiin mo? Ah hindi ko malaman, una sabi nila, “you resume the ground action”. Tapos they wanted to offer to fight with the… Kaya tingnan ko. Pilipino ka man, tingnan mo ang sitwasyon. Which movement do you prefer? The ISIS or the Republic of the Philippines? Mamili kayo.

Q: [off mic]

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Again?

Q: Who is in charge of the rehabilitation?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Evasco ‘yan. Si Evasco ‘yan. Evasco is the former priest who was arrested by the Scout Rangers noon, tapos nadala sa… 

Pari yan, silang dalawa ni Tizon. Father Tizon is already dead. Waray ‘yon, pumunta doon sa Mindanao nakipag… Naging NDF kagaya mo tapos nahuli sila.

Alam mo man ang history, namakak pa gyud. Huwag ka na ngang magpa-deny-deny diyan. Iyong mga intelligence nagkalat, alam nila na…

Q: Wrong intelligence.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Hindi naman, okay, peace naman tayo. So wala namang galawan. Tapos si Evasco nagtrabaho sa akin naging mayor ako, I was the one prosecuting him because I was a fiscal. Ako ‘yung prosecutor niya sa korte. 

Pagdating ng panahon, hindi naman namin kasalanan, binitawan lahat pati rebelde ayun, pumunta si Evasco sa akin naghingi ng trabaho.

Ngayon, secretary na siya. Kaya pagbalik niya sa kampo doon mga sundalo, saludo sa kanya. Pero pagtalikod niya sabi ng sundalo, ‘Ang sarap barilin ng p***** i**.’ [laughter] Pati ‘yung mayor kasama niya. Pandamay ‘yan.  

No, ganun lang ang buhay. There’s always a time for war and a time for peace. And this is a time for war.

Q: Message lagi to the Marawi residents?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Yes, I said… Alam mo man na galing ang lola ko doon. 

Mga kapatid kong mga Maranao, lahat na pati the Moro world of Mindanao: I do not want to fight. I cannot… I simply cannot wage a war against my own people.

I pray that there will be a short period of war activity and we expect it to be over soon. We are ready ang gobyerno, ang ating Republic, to extend assistance. 

We will always… Alam na ni Evasco ‘yan, komunista ‘yan noon eh. Hanggang ngayon. Alam niya how it works in the masa. You go for the — mga mahirap, paakyat ka doon. 

Kung may matira, ‘yung mga mayaman. Kung wala na, pasensiya. 

—END—