I would be, God willing, the first president coming from the Left. I am Bayan, and I have been Bayan for the many years I have been mayor. I am not a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines. We follow the path of socialism. But this extremism is not good for me. My being a socialist is left of center, only up to here in the armpit, don't be scared. But my dimensions in life, I am only a poor man's son.
They say that's too ambitious. My God, try me. That's what I told the Davao criminals before. I had them called out, 'Do you want to go out of the city? Do you want to go to Manila? Life is good there. Just go there, you want?' Those who didn't believe me are dead. What do we have to talk about?
"Ang sabi ko sa military pati police (I told the military and police), only criminals, drug-related offenses, I will tell the police and military, ’Go out and kill them.’ Period. Before you become a police, you have the situations where you can really kill. Of course, in the enforcement of the law, because it is really to overcome the resistance and if you find yourself in jeopardy of losing your life, shoot...Ako bahala (I will take care of it). Basta (Just) follow my orders and do it in accordance with the book. Huwag kayo lumabas doon (Don't go beyond what the book says). No abuses. I have the best police force in the entire Philippines, talagang (really) behaved." (Los BaĂąos, March 11, 2016)
If you really want me to be president, this year, after elections, the salaries of the police and military will be doubled...Then they will be given rice so they have something to eat every day. Their children will have free education from kindergarten to high school, only in public school. When they die in the line of duty, they will receive 3 years' worth of salaries...Now, if I double their salaries and they still ask for bribes [makes clucking sound to indicate gunshots].
You know, we are from different tribes. There are Tausug, Maranao, Tagalog, Bicolano, Ilocano. You know, our dialects are different, so is our culture, even our idiosyncracies. But now what remains to hold us together is this Philippine flag. The written manifestation of the flag is the Constitution. I hope that everybody would remain loyal to that flag because if not, if you start to fuck it, you steal the money and let us live in our poverty there, we don't even have enough resources after we give you all our money and you send us a pittance and things are messy, you leave to us a serious problem of maybe a fractured island.)
He often uses this rhetoric to justify why a shift to a federal form of government is necessary. Federalism would allow regions to retain most of their income instead of sending most of it to the national government in Metro Manila. The writer of the piece says we need to watch 1 or 2 of his speeches to understand him. Videos and more analysis at the link. Continued on Page 47
[Rappler] Most of you will read articles in the media calling Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte a "fascist," "punisher," or "dictator." Some have even called the Filipino people "dumb" for even considering voting for him.
It is completely understandable to be shocked and appalled at some of the things he has said, such as his death threats to criminals, and his seeming disregard for due process.
You are probably wondering: how has this man amassed nearly double the number of votes compared to his closest rival? Why do so many Filipinos want this man to lead their country?
Duterte has promised very basic but necessary changes in security and well-being for the Filipino people. Pretty good explanation for why he was elected at the link. Continued on Page 47
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
