Duterte visits troops in Zamboanga, tells ‘em his woes

PAGADIAN CITY – President Duterte inspected troops at a major army base in southern Philippines and spoke to troops and telling them his rhetoric woes – from critics of his anti-drug campaign to threats of terrorism and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Duterte, accompanied by Defense Chief Delfin Lorenzana and Armed Forces Chief General Ricardo Visaya, spoke to soldiers at the 1st Infantry Division in Zamboanga del Sur’s Labangan town during a recent visit.

“I am making the rounds (in military camps) so that I will be able to have a good grasp (of the situation). Iba ang makita ko ang kampo ninyo, I like to meet you,” Duterte said.

He told soldiers about the government’s peace talks with the communist rebel group New People’s Army and Moro National Liberation Front and rival Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and his war on illegal drugs and terrorists.

“Itong bansa natin hindi nakatikim ng kapayapaan, lahat walang takot, meron pa tayong hinaharap ngayon ang NPA, Muslim insurgency at meron tayong ginagawang paguusap sa mga MNLF at MILF ukol sa problema ng ating bansa.”

“Meron pang problema sa droga, I see a longing problem, nakikita ko na 3 to 7 years (from now) ay magkakaproblema tayo sa ISIS dahil sa ilang lugar sa Mindanao at may mga tao – Arab missionaries, wala silang armas, pero narito sila sa indoctrination. Delikado yan dahil target nila ang kaisipan ng mga tao,” Duterte said.

He also cited the brutal attacks of ISIS members on women who refused sex with them. “Yan ISIS, kaya nga yun mga babaeng ayaw makipagtalik sa kanila ay sinusunog nila (ng buhay),” Duterte said.

He also told soldiers that he wanted to personally see their situation and promised to uplift their welfare and provided them additional benefits. But Duterte jumped from one topic to another and ending up telling the soldiers the same things about his priority and reforms in governance – from the bidding process to the party-list system he wanted to abolish and his spat with

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno who criticized him for naming judges – some of them dead already – as allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade.

Duterte again criticized Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist party of the Philippines, for the continued use of landmines by rebels that according to the President was illegal. Sison, who previously called Duterte a “bully” and “loudmouth”, urged NPA rebels to continue using “command-detonated” explosives against government forces, saying, such type of landmine is allowed under the Geneva Convention.

“Makarinig pa ako kahit isa na may isang sundalo sa AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) na masugatan, then forget the peace talks,” Duterte said.

When pedestrian lane becomes a parking area for traffic enforcers and motorists. These photos are taken outside the Land Transportation Office in Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)