Duterte to soldiers fighting Mautes: No prisoners, kill them all
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 5) — President Rodrigo Duterte once again profusely thanked the men in uniform valiantly waging a war against religious extremists in the south.
"Sa inyo lang talaga ako umaasa at sa inyo rin ako magpapasalamat personally (I solely rely on you and I would like to thank you personally). And I would not forget this episode in my life that I had to work with you closely," he told troopers of the 1002nd Infantry Brigade in Sarangani province on Wednesday.
Duterte said he was giving all and doing his best so that the soldiers would have everything they needed.
He said he had earmarked ₱500 million for military equipment and he would not settle for second hand rifles, choppers and the like.
Related: Duterte: I was forced to declare martial law to prevent civil war
Even in terms of medical care, the chief executive said, the soldiers would be given the best. He mentioned again that he opted to take commercial flights so that the military could use two presidential planes to ferry wounded soldiers.
"Sabi ko, 'yan ang gamitin. Okay lang ako. Okay lang commercial flight. Your life is as important as mine. It is not because I am President and you are just a soldier. Tabla tayong lahat. And so, your services are also needed as badly as mine," Duterte said.
[Translation: I'm okay with taking commercial flights. Your life is as important as mine. It is not because I am President and you are just a soldier. We are all equals. And so, your services are also needed as badly as mine.]
The former mayor then showed a caliber .45 pistol which he said he would be giving out to each soldier.
In terms of taking care of their families, Duterte vowed that by the time he stepped down from Malacañang, "a big amount" would have been set aside for the education of the soldiers' children.
"It will be a trust fund to be administered by the Central Bank para wala talagang kakawkaw 'yung kamay. And it will be for the, solely, education ng mga anak ninyo. Lahat talaga, kung gusto lang mag-aral, makakatapos. 'Yan ang pangako ko sa inyo, before I leave the Presidency," he told the applauding troops.
[Translation: It will be a trust fund to be administered by the Central Bank so that no one would tinker with it. And it will be solely for the education of your children. I want all of them to finish their studies. That is my promise to you before I leave the presidency.]
To cap it all, the commander-in-chief said the soldier's pay had been increasing and by January, it would have been doubled.
No place to detain terrorists
But, Duterte said he would want something in return.
"Pero dapat, every encounter, patay lahat. Ayoko magdala ng buhay, preso. Papakainin ko pa 'yan," he said referring to what's happening in Marawi.
[Translation: I want them all dead in every encounter. I don't want prisoners to feed.]
Related: Duterte tells troops to 'crush' terrorists
As a lawyer himself, Duterte explained that a person could only be detained and tried in the place where he committed the crime.
"Saan ako maglagay ng presuhan sa Marawi ngayon?" Na pag-alis, maglagay ako ng jail diyan. Iilan lang naman talaga ang pulis. Hindi naman natin madagdagan ng isang libo.
[Translation: Where in Marawi can I detain them? We lack policemen and we could not add a thousand more.]
It's as simple as that, he said — a matter of logistics.
Meanwhile, Duterte also said the Marawi crisis was "winding up" thanks to the sacrifices and bravery of those who fought in the besieged city.
"Sasabihin ko lang lalo sa mga pamilya nila (I would like to tell their families), they did not die in vain."
