Presidential aspirant Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte vowed on Friday evening to clean the government, rid it with criminality, suppress drugs, corruption and dared to close Congress and government agencies if they make life difficult for the Filipinos.
“I can guarantee you it will be a clean government getting rid of corruption, not asking for years, not asking for a term, not asking you to give me months, but you will feel it when I am given my post,” Duterte challenged during a mammoth rally in San Pedro City’s La Marea subdivision.
Duterte cited several cases and “injunctions filed here and there” with the courts, Ombudsman, Congress, Human Rights (Commission) that impede government operations for the people.
“I will not allow it so don’t make the processes difficult for me because I am trying to rebuild my country and I am asking everybody simply just to follow the law,” the Presidential contender dared.
Speaking in Filipino multi-dialects to a multi-sectoral crowd here, Duterte challenged he will change the government and order the closure of these agencies if they only create shenanigans for the Filipinos.
He proposed to justices to write a new Constitution that would be strict with the people’s money, jobs, among others so government is rid of corruption and can save on public funds “because I don’t sit for six years, doing nothing” if he were elected the country’s president.
“We will not allow this to happen and in worst situation, I will close Congress if they cannot deliver to the people the services, serve their interests and welfare they are sworn to serve as the people’s representatives,” the feisty Davao City mayor declared.
Duterte assured he will not impose Martial Law but will certainly close these agencies if they will perpetuate the pork barrel scheme and continue to rob the government.
“I don’t want Filipinos to suffer long queues and we have to address crime, corruption and economics,” Duterte vowed.
He proposed to formulate one policy from the Office of the President and make it expeditious to go down the line to directly benefit the people while removing bureaucratic layering of discretion from the department secretaries to the local government units.
“I am a socialist, not a communist and will always rid of anti-people policies because I am committed to serve the Filipino people and this is part of my vow before you,” Duterte stated.
He also warned about the problem in Mindanao which has not been addressed correctly during government peace talks in the context of its varying historical, cultural, social, sociological and religious perspectives for decades.
“You do not start a war that you cannot stop on time. Let us talk because we cannot continue to kill each other. We have different culture, religion, language and food but there will always be one nation for us,” Duterte expounded.
He also remarked on the implementation of the Filipino poor’s cash assistance or “Pantawaid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps)” like lotto game which results in programs that are “lutong-luto” (over-cooked) with the spoils.
He assured to continue programs and projects that really benefit the Filipinos particularly additional benefits for a sack of rice and allocate each region one billion pesos for livelihood funds for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) apart from the 4Ps as cash grants.
He also promised to double the pay for police personnel and soldiers noting their meager income and their lack of logistics to fight crime and sustain the program on law and order vowing “illegal drugs and criminality have to stop and cannot go on forever.”
“This is how serious the problem is because even drug convicts are now “cooking” shabu inside the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa,” Duterted said.