When Rodrigo Duterte takes his oath on June 30, he is expected to promise a government that will be harsh to the corrupt and criminals and strict to wrongdoers but compassionate for the hopeless, helpless, and the defenseless.
“I'm hell-bent in stopping corruption. You will not get help from me if you are in government and you commit corruption,” he said after the last flag raising ceremony on June 27 in Davao City that he attended as mayor. “If Cabinet secretaries make money through corruption, I'll ask them to just go. If you saw something stolen, even if it is just one peso, I'll not only admit it. I will resign.”
Duterte anchored his campaign on fighting crime and promoting inclusive growth. He said he would work hard to satisfy the expectations of the 16.6 million people who voted for him.
“My government is for the helpless, hopeless, and the defenseless. Those are the words of my father. I just borrowed it from him,” Duterte said. Duterte's father Vicente served as governor of Davao and was a Cabinet member of former President Ferdinand Marcos.
“I do the very best I can and I mean to keep doing so until the end,” the 71-year-old Duterte said. “If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me would not amount to anything. But if the end brings me out wrong, ten angels of God swearing I was right would make no difference.”
While promising to be decisive and strong, the incoming President sought the help of the public for his programs to succeed. “To those who want to help the government, now is the time to do it. If you really want a government that is good, we're trying to make up something good for the next generation,” he said.
“But as I said, do not destroy our children. I will kill you... That's what I will do.”
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