Rody: I destroyed oligarchs without martial law
President Duterte on Monday boasted about successfully fighting oligarchs head-on without the need to impose military rule. “Without declaring martial law, sinira ko ’yung mga tao na humahawak sa ekonomiya at umiipit at hindi nagbabayad (I destroyed people who control the economy, oppress and do not pay taxes),”
Duterte said in his speech before soldiers during a clandestine visit to Kuta General Teodulfo Bautista in Jolo, Sulu.
The government-run stations aired the edited and shortened version of the President’s speech only on Tuesday morning.
Although the President did not say it directly, he subtly compared his actions to the time of the late former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who imposed martial law from 1972 to 1986 and seized major corporations, including television network ABS-CBN.
Unlike Marcos, Duterte said he did not need to impose martial rule over certain businesses held allegedly by the country’s oligarchs.
“They take advantage sa kanilang (of their) political power,” Duterte said during his talk with the troops.
The Chief Executive also addressed Gov. Abdusakur Tan, who celebrated his birthday on Monday, to explain how some influential people supposedly chart the fate of candidates during elections.
“Ganoon ’yan, Sakur, ganoon ’yan. Every election noon o sa ngayon o bukas, sabihin nila sa isang kuwarto lang ’yan, ‘O padre, sinong kandidato natin ngayon? O ikaw diyan, ikaw ang bahala sa ano ha, you raise the funds’ (That’s how it is, Sakur, that’s how it is. Every election then or now or tomorrow, they meet in a room, choose their candidates and raise the funds),” Duterte said.
Since the government only aired portions of the President’s speech, it was not known whether he named the oligarchs he referred to. He felt “so much pain,” however, on how these people supposedly “played the nation.”
“Lima ’ata lang ang tao. Isang pamilya lang ang naguusap diyan. Ganun nilaro nila ang bayan ko (It’s just five persons, I think. Only one family talking in there. That’s how they played my nation),” he lamented.
Proud about exacting accountability from oligarchs, Duterte said he would die happy knowing he has done his part in making sure that he was able to address the issues involving these people with vested self-interests.
“Kaya ako mamatay, mahulog ’yung eroplano, p ***** i** (That’s why, if I die, if my plane would crash), I am very happy. Alam mo bakit (You know why)? Sabi ko (I said), without declaring martial law, I dismantled the oligarchy that controlled the economy of the Filipino people,” he said.
Not ABS-CBN
Sought for clarification on the President’s statement later in the day, presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said that Duterte was not referring to ABS-CBN.
Roque said the Chief Executive was talking about his usual pet peeves: the Ayalas, Pangilinan Group and Lucio Tan.
The Palace spokesman said the President’s statement had nothing to do with ABS-CBN’s closure at all.
At a virtual press briefing at Malacañang, Roque agreed to a reporter’s query if Duterte’s statement came as a coincidence with the denial of the ABS-CBN’s franchise.
“I believe so, because he always mentions in his speeches the oligarchs that he himself really destroyed,” Roque said in mixed English and Filipino.
“The case of ABS-CBN is a case of an expired franchise which was not renewed by Congress,” he added.
What crony?
Roque also dismissed insinuations that Duterte has his own cronies even as he relentlessly attacked water concessionaires and major telecommunication companies as well as major news outfits critical of his administration.
The presidential spokesman defended Davao-based businessman Dennis Uy, whose businesses range from pertroleum to digital start-up, casino franchise, a bakery chain, car dealership and water utility, among others.
“There’s none because Dennis Uy… They built their fortune because of mining and coal in Diwalwal. So no one can doubt that Diwalwal is gold-producing,” Roque said.
“So, let’s not think that (Uy’s) wealth was because of President Duterte. He’s been wealthy for long,” he added.
Fighting the corrupt, abusive
As Sen. Bong Go understands it, the President was not pertaining to any specific case but was talking about the impact of the administration’s continuing fight against corruption in his address to the military.
“He did not say who, anyway, but he was stressing that in the past years that we’ve been fighting the corrupt and abusive, it just so happened that the truth about the mismanagement of some groups or companies in the country emerged,” Go said in Filipino.
“We won’t let this pass unaddressed and we will make sure that wrongdoings are fixed so that we can finally eradicate corruption and abusive practices. Because of this fight, the oligarchy system in the country is dismantled little by little, without the need to declare martial law,” he added.
This fight against corruption and abusive practices stems from the President’s love for the country, according to the senator.
“I will continue to support the President in this fight in order to rid our country of corruption from top to bottom. If you love your country, you will defend it from all abusers, from the smallest to the most powerful, who do harm to our fellow Filipinos,” Go said.
“That is why when oligarchs, terrorists, criminals and abusive or corrupt officials try to harm or take advantage of the people, in the eyes of the President, they are the enemies who threaten our democratic way of life and he will not hesitate to fight them to protect the interests of the ordinary Filipinos,” he added.