DAVAO CITY (March 26) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday encouraged the public to vote wisely in the upcoming midterm elections, noting that it is vital that they choose aspiring senatorial candidates who have integrity and are genuine public servants.
In the past, people elect voters because of their popularity and posture, but this time, Duterte said people should elect leaders who are ready to serve, and not those who stay away from people after elections.
In his speech at the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) during the campaign rally of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Laban ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), he told the public, especially, his audience in Cagayan de Oro, “You are who you elect.”
He then explained the challenges that the Philippines has been enduring such as the cases of law and order, corruption, rebellion, and terrorism. Moreover, he also narrated that in order to attain a solution to these predicaments, he had to utilize unpopular measures, particularly on the issue of the illegal drug trade.
“It behooves upon you who worry eternally of the lives and death of people connected with the drug trafficking industry. It behooves upon you to do what you can do. Warn them. Jail them if that’s what you want,” the President said in vernacular.
“But do not blame me. If you continue with what you are doing, you will destroy my nation. I would like to repeat it to you as I have always said before. I am a government worker and I work for the people,” he added.
“My job is to protect the people and to preserve the Republic of the Philippines. I have no other agenda. No transaction of government has ever reached my table, not even anything…not even a single peso,” he continued.
President Duterte also clarified the prejudices against his leadership. “I will step down on the day that I will end my term. No dictatorship…no nothing…no extension of term,” he said.-NewsLine.ph
