Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte reiterates threat to kill drug dealers, denies taking money from China

In his final State of the Nation Address (SONA), Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte hailed his signature war on drugs, but provided a variety of reasons as to why there was a “long way” to go in the controversial crackdown that has killed thousands of people.

In a speech that lasted nearly three hours, during which he frequently went off script as he railed against communists and corrupt officials, Duterte also denied taking money from China during his 2016 presidential campaign and said he would never go to the United States for a state visit.

“When I first said I will fight drugs in six months, I thought it was like in Davao, [where] you can either coerce, intimidate or bribe them, or give them money,” he told the audience of lawmakers, diplomats and judges.

“[But I did not know I was fighting my own government, customs and everyone else who was facilitating the import of drugs … We still have a long way in our fight against the proliferation of drugs.”

Large chunks of the 76-year-old strongman’s rambling address were devoted to his “unyielding” anti-narcotics campaign, which has officially killed more than 6,000 people.

Rights groups put the figure in the tens of thousands and International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors are seeking to investigate the campaign.

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Duterte defended the crackdown, saying it had “led to the surrender of millions of drug dependents and neutralisation, capture and prosecution of thousands of drug personalities”.

“Those who destroy my country, I will kill you,” he said after challenging the ICC to record his comments. “And those who destroy the young people of our country, I will kill you.”

On his campaign promise to end corruption “in three to six months” after taking office, Duterte said on Monday: “Corruption is endemic. Nobody can really stop corruption unless you overturn the system … fire everybody and declare martial law.”

As expected, Duterte used the annual speech – his last before he steps down next year, though he has flagged a possible run for the vice-presidency – to boast about the government’s performance in the past five years, including its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic that has infected more than 1.5 million people and shattered the economy.

Under his administration, the Philippines passed laws instituting free tuition in state universities; universal health care; higher pay for soldiers and policemen; and the cutting of red tape to ease business.

The president made no mention of the controversial anti-terrorism law, which gives the authorities wide-ranging powers to arrest and detain suspected communists. On the country’s long-running insurgency, Duterte did not discuss when it would end but said great strides had been made in addressing its causes by investing in roads and infrastructure in areas where the rebels operated.

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He also said “people” were pushing him to do something with the 2016 arbitral ruling the Philippines won in The Hague against China, which dismissed most of Beijing’s claims in the disputed South China Sea.

“What ‘do something’? Do you want war against China?” he asked. “We asserted the arbitration ruling [with] the Asean [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] and finally at the United Nations General Assembly.

“As I said in September of last year, the arbitral award is now part of international law and beyond compromise and beyond the reach of any passing government to dilute, diminish or abandon.”

Duterte thanked Asean and countries that had supported the Philippines. “We will work with you to achieve our shared objectives. but make no mistake, gone are the days when the Philippines decides and acts in the shadow of the great powers.”

He then abandoned his written comments to deny that he had been paid by China during his 2016 presidential run in exchange for being soft on Beijing.

“I would rather not be president than do that,” he said, adding: “What, receiving money from China to buy votes?”

The denial was apparently prompted by a July 12 statement from former foreign secretary Albert del Rosario, who said reliable information had been received in February 2019 that “high officials from China are bragging that they had been able to influence the 2016 Philippine elections so that Duterte would be president”.

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Duterte did not mention renewing the Visiting Forces Agreement with the US, and expressed scepticism that Washington would come to the aid of the Philippines under their 1951 Military Defence Treaty in case of any attack by China.

He brought up the Balangiga bells, seized by American forces as a trophy in 1901, and said he had been told early in his presidency that the bells would have been returned if he promised to visit the US.

The US gave back the bells in 2018 without a Duterte trip there, and he reiterated on Monday: “I have not visited America and I do not have the intention of visiting it any more.”

Earlier on Monday, the Philippines cheered its first-ever gold in the Olympics, with weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz edging out world champion Liao Qiuyun of China.

“The entire Filipino nation is proud of you,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a message to the 30-year-old Diaz.

The Philippine military also congratulated Diaz, who is a member of the air force, for her “masterful performance” in the Tokyo Olympics.

Tokyo 2020: Hidilyn Diaz is Philippines’ first Olympic gold medallist after 55kg weightlifting triumph

Diaz was in 2019 named by the Duterte administration in a chart that it claimed showed a plot to undermine the president’s rule, saying at the time that she feared for her and her family’s life. The unsubstantiated accusation did not affect Diaz’s military career, as she has since been promoted.

On Twitter, Filipino netizens greeted the historic win and thanked Diaz for lifting the country’s spirit amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Thank you for carrying us all,” they tweeted, while some joked that her victory also showed that the Philippines can actually beat China, in reference to a territorial dispute between the two countries in the South China Sea.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse and DPA