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Inaugural Address OF His Excellency Rodrigo Roa Duterte President of The Philippines (June 30, 2016, Rizal Ceremonial Hall, Malacañan, Manila)
Inaugural Address OF His Excellency Rodrigo Roa Duterte President of The Philippines (June 30, 2016, Rizal Ceremonial Hall, Malacañan, Manila)
OF
HIS EXCELLENCY RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE
PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES
President Fidel Ramos, sir, salamat po sa tulong mo making me President; President Joseph
Ejercito Estrada; Senate President Franklin Drilon and the members of the Senate; Speaker
Feliciano Belmonte and the members of the House of Representatives; Chief Justice Maria
Lourdes Sereno and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court; His Excellency Guiseppe Pinto
and the members of the Diplomatic Corps; incoming members of the Cabinet; fellow workers in
government; my fellow countrymen.
No leader, however strong, can succeed at anything of national importance or significance unless
he has the support and cooperation of the people he is tasked to lead and sworn to serve.
It is the people from whom democratic governments draw strength and this administration is no
exception. That is why we have to listen to the murmurings of the people, feel their pulse, supply
their needs and fortify their faith and trust in us whom they elected to public office.
There are many amongst us who advance the assessment that the problems that bedevil our
country today which need to be addressed with urgency, are corruption, both in the high and low
echelons of government, criminality in the streets, and the rampant sale of illegal drugs in all
strata of Philippine society and the breakdown of law and order. True, but not absolutely so. For
I see these ills as mere symptoms of a virulent social disease that creeps and cuts into the moral
fiber of Philippine society. I sense a problem deeper and more serious than any of those
mentioned or all of them put together. But of course, it is not to say that we will ignore them
because they have to be stopped by all means that the law allows.
Erosion of faith and trust in government – that is the real problem that confronts us. Resulting
therefrom, I see the erosion of the people’s trust in our country’s leaders; the erosion of faith in
our judicial system; the erosion of confidence in the capacity of our public servants to make the
people’s lives better, safer and healthier.
Indeed ours is a problem that dampens the human spirit. But all is not lost.
I know that there are those who do not approve of my methods of fighting criminality, the sale
and use of illegal drugs and corruption. They say that my methods are unorthodox and verge on
the illegal. In response let me say this:
I have seen how corruption bled the government of funds, which were allocated for the use in
uplifting the poor from the mire that they are in.
I have seen how illegal drugs destroyed individuals and ruined family relationships.
I have seen how criminality, by means all foul, snatched from the innocent and the unsuspecting,
the years and years of accumulated savings. Years of toil and then, suddenly, they are back to
where they started.
In this fight, I ask Congress and the Commission on Human Rights and all others who are
similarly situated to allow us a level of governance that is consistent to our mandate. The fight
will be relentless and it will be sustained.
As a lawyer and a former prosecutor, I know the limits of the power and authority of the
president. I know what is legal and what is not.
You mind your work and I will mind mine. [applause and cheers]
“Malasakit;” “Tunay na Pagbabago; Tinud-anay (real) nga Kausaban (change)” – these are
words which catapulted me to the presidency. These slogans were conceptualized not for the sole
purpose of securing the votes of the electorate. “Tinud-anay nga kabag-uhan (real change). Mao
kana ang tumong sa atong pang-gobyerno (this is the direction of our government).”
Far from that. These were battle cries articulated by me in behalf of the people hungry for
genuine and meaningful change. But the change, if it is to be permanent and significant, must
start with us and in us.
To borrow the language of F. Sionil Jose, we have become our own worst enemies. And we must
have the courage and the will to change ourselves.
Love of country, subordination of personal interests to the common good, concern and care for
the helpless and the impoverished – these are among the lost and faded values that we seek to
recover and revitalize as we commence our journey towards a better Philippines. The ride will be
rough. But come and join me just the same. Together, shoulder to shoulder, let us take the first
wobbly steps in this quest.
There are two quotations from revered figures that shall serve as the foundation upon which this
administration shall be built.
“The test of government is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much;
it is whether we provide for those who have little.”
– Franklin Delano Roosevelt
My economic and financial, political policies are contained in those quotations, though couched
in general terms. Read between the lines. I need not go into specifics now. They shall be supplied
to you in due time.
However, there are certain policies and specifics of which cannot wait for tomorrow to be
announced.
Therefore, I direct all department secretaries and the heads of agencies to reduce requirements
and the processing time of all applications, from the submission to the release. I order all
department secretaries and heads of agencies to remove redundant requirements and compliance
with one department or agency, shall be accepted as sufficient for all.
I order all department secretaries and heads of agencies to refrain from changing and bending the
rules government contracts, transactions and projects already approved and awaiting
implementation. Changing the rules when the game is on-going is wrong.
I abhor secrecy and instead advocate transparency in all government contracts, projects and
business transactions from submission of proposals to negotiation to perfection and finally, to
consummation.
Do them and we will work together. Do not do them, we will part sooner than later.
On the international front and community of nations, let me reiterate that the Republic of the
Philippines will honor treaties and international obligations.
On the domestic front, my administration is committed to implement all signed peace agreements
in step with constitutional and legal reforms.
I am elated by the expression of unity among our Moro brothers and leaders, and the response of
everyone else to my call for peace.
I look forward to the participation of all other stakeholders, particularly our indigenous peoples,
to ensure inclusivity in the peace process.
Let me remind in the end of this talk, that I was elected to the presidency to serve the entire
country. I was not elected to serve the interests of any one person or any group or any one class. I
serve every one and not only one.
That is why I have adapted as an article of faith, the following lines written by someone whose
name I could no longer recall. He said:
But before I end, let me express the nations, on behalf of the people, our condolences to the
Republic of Turkey of what has happened in the place. We offer our deepest condolences.
Why am I here? Hindi kasali ito diyan. The past tense was, I am here because I love my country
and I love the people of the Philippines. I am here, why? Because I am ready to start my work for
the nation.