by Jocelyn P. Alvarez
ZAMBOANGA CITY - “I am fighting a war here, drugs and terrorism. It will need your sacrifice
and mine too. You’ll need to come in very fast,” President Duterte addresseda
crowd of government troopers at the Western Mindanao Command Gymnasium during
his visit here yesterday, July 21.
“We are stretch thin.Wala akong pulis na ilalatag dyan, tapos ang shabu is
rampaging.” This statement connotes how serious he is in eliminating illegal
drug activities in the country that he is willing to bet his life on it.
“The problem on drugs is beyond our reach. For all you know ang mga
protector dyan eh nandito lang,” he said.
“You’ll have to love your country. Do
it for the love of country, do not do it for me. I do not need it. Trabaho tayong
lahat. Trabahante lang ako.” This he uttered with the advise not to develop
loyalty to him but to the country.
“Ito lang masabi ko, do your duty, if
you are ordered for an operation against shabu, at nagka sabit sabit kayo,
huwag kayo matakot. I will be there,”with the assurance that he will not allow
them to go to jail so long as the operation is mandated by law.
President Duterte called on concerned
authorities to take solace from his statement: “In the fulfillment of duty or in
the performance of your task, mandate,you will have my support- one hundred
percent.”
“Lahat ng ini-execute ninyo, utos ko,
akin yan, mine and mine alone. Basta yung trabaho natin. So huwag kayong
matakot, I am there for you,” he said,
taking full and sole responsibility for his mandate to rid the country of drugs
and terrorism.
“Basta inutusan kayo to do a civilian
mandate, for example drugs.Go ahead, di na ako magtanong kung paano ninyo
ginawa. Basta ako pagnagkasabit kayo sa trabaho mandated by law, you will have
my protection,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile,
the President announced that his administation is in need of atleast 3000
policemen to meet the challenges of urban terrorism and highlighted on the more
than 80,000 drug pushers and users all over the country who surrendered to
authorities.This is a manifestation that his administration really means business when it comes to ridding the country of the drug
menace.