PRESIDENT DUTERTE: One at a time ha.

Q: How do you explain further Mayor ‘yung sinabi niyo na you will declare martial law if the—

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Yes, if things go out of control and violence has reached the level of total breakdown, I will. I will not hesitate. But not to… not like the declarations in Manila because I have to say it, because… you want martial law to perpetuate, korny ‘yan. Wala akong ganong ambisyon. I’d be happy to leave the presidency anytime.

Q: Specific areas lang po ba Mayor?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Mindanao na.

Q: Buong?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Yes.

Q: But no other?            

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Hindi, hindi lang naman kasi sa… No, no, no. Ganito. Because iba ang dynamics eh, but the entire Mindanao is really magulo. I had to… itong sa, ‘yung majority ng Christians, pati ‘yung majority na Moro. Because iba ano, ang iba naman mga NPA, the communist problem, dito naman, wala naman ako problema sa mainstream. They’re all legitimate.

Ang problema ko terrorism pati ‘yung day-to-day na lawlessness na nagtapon ng granada o bomba o IED, maski ganon na lang. No, you cannot… I cannot preside over the affairs of the country na ganon ang—It would make me inutil.

It’s either I solve the problem or I go out. That’s the only solution there.

Q: Do you have a specific time frame when will you declare or when will you not declare?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: No, no. I will just… shooting the breeze with them. Sabi ko, please let me not do it. You have to help me. I do not want to do it because it is not good.

Kasi pag mag-martial law na, ang supreme authority will be the Armed Forces of the Philippines, ako pati ‘yung pulis. Mahirap ‘yang ganon because meron tayong legitimate structure eh, ‘yung local government. Pero, when it is rendered inoperable, inutil, patay na.

Q: Sir, how do you reconcile your sending scalawags to these areas–?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Discipline ‘yun, discipline. Iba ‘yun. Discipline ‘yun sa mga pulis na ayaw magtino. ‘Yun ang mga pulis na hindi ko kailangan.

I mean if you are there in the service, not only for the police, but for the soliders, magkakalat ka. So what is the purpose of paying your salary? Tapos ganon lang gawin mo, mag-sige karate diyan na—

Q: Sir, the other night you met with the House Speaker and Senate President. Can you tell us what you discussed, but including po ‘yung death penalty sir?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Yes, they reported to me the vote of the House at that time, which prevailed. And then they also told me that the issue of Yasay is no longer, ‘di na ma– beyond talking. Cannot be saved anymore.

Q: Sir did you seek clarification with them why rape and plunder was taken out of the death penalty?

Q: Sir, did you seek clarification with them why rape and plunder was taken out of the death penalty?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: ‘Di sila… They could not agree among themselves. Obviously, because of the votes of… so let them solve[inaudible]

Q: Sir, as a follow up lang po. If the measure for example passes the Senate also and it reaches your table, will you sign it even if plunder and rape is not included, sir?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Medyo kulang. ‘Yun dapat ‘yung rape with homicide, re-rape-in ka, tapos patayin ka; re-rape-in ka tapos kunan ka ng pera tapos papatayin ka. Dapat lang. Heinous crime. It’s a heinous crime.

Q: [off mic]

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Of course violence beyond the control of the ordinary day-to-day operations of government. Eh kung hindi na ma-control ng mga local executives, and then mahirapan tayong mag-control because of the so many restrictions under normal situations, kaya sabi ko I’d be compelled to declare martial law.

When you start to bomb schools, that is not acceptable to me. When the children are already involved or into the vortex of violence, that is —

Q: Mayor, a mother was crying kasi ang 14-year-old daughter niya was recruited allegedly by the New People’s Army na dinala nila sa Davao City to conduct a rally since January and hanggang ngayon hindi pa daw nakakauwi. May 17 years old na nakatakas, nagsurrender, ang sabi niya is kasama daw niya ‘yung bata and injured from an encounter.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Well, nandiyan na.

Q: No, Mayor. Naiwan po daw kasi tumakas sila atnaiwan ‘yung bata kasi hinabol sila.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Saan sila naiwan ‘yung bata?

Q: Sa somewhere there in Oriental daw, Mayor.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Then I will order the Army to search for the bata and the police. It’s our duty to find out whether it is true or not and if it’s true that she is wounded or he is wounded. He has to be brought in. We do not have to wait for the NPAs to do that. All that they can do is just let us know na may iniwan kami diyan na sugatan and I will take care of it. After all, we do not select whether or not you are NPA when we treat wounded persons.

Q: Sir, can you sign? Sir, this is the handkerchief that you gave me. Sir, can you sign it?

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Hindi mo na ito gamitin. Wala na, luma na nga o. Nakakahiya.

Q: Sir, okay lang. Ipapa-frame ko na lang.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: You stretch it so I can write something out of it. Here. Dito. Ano nga ang nickname mo?

Q: AC po, sir. Letter A, letter C. Ayan.

PRESIDENT DUTERTE: Pati ‘yung message?

Q: Sir, kahit signature niyo lang po. Thank you, sir.

—END—