Drugs, Reds, corruption dragging economy – Du30

The illegal drug trade, corruption, and communist insurgency is dragging the economy, President Duterte said last Tuesday.

The President said the drug lords and New People’s Army rebels must be neutralized if the country wants to soar and attain greater progress. At present, he said the country is like an airplane unable to take off from the runway.

"I cannot improve this – the standing of our economy if marami akong kalaban itong mga droga, ang NPA, and we cannot, you know…One administration after another, ganun lang ‘yan," he said during the Taal Volcano situation briefing in Batangas City. "If you cannot kill all of these NPAs and kill all of these drug lords, mahirapan tayong. We are like a plane in the runway na nasa runway lang. Hindi tayo nag-te-take-off kailanman," he added.

Duterte also said the country cannot improve if there are still "idiots" who think they can take over the government.

"They say that the economy is better. I don't claim any credit for that but for me it's still the same.

As long as the Filipinos really are jobless and we cannot improve the country because the countryside is full of idiots who think that they can take over government," he said.

Apart from the drug and insurgency challenges, Duterte expressed concern about the problems of corruption and red tape in government that slow down public service. "We're getting nowhere and that is why the economy is really dragging, almost dragging when it fit. It's been a sakit," he said.