Duterte warns Bilibid drug lords: ‘Magbilang kayo ng oras’

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday warned drug lords inside the New Bilibid Prison to wait not for days, but hours, before he begins his crackdown on the illegal drug trade. 

Duterte issued the warning during the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) change of command rites at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Addressing drug lords, Duterte said, "Magbilang kayo ng araw sa ginagawa ninyo. Do not be the solution of it all. May problema diyan. Hinihiya ninyo ang gobyerno. Sinasampal ninyo kami. Magbilang kayo ng oras, ayaw ko ng araw."  

"Saan ka nakakita dito ng gobyerno na ang trafficking ng drugs is being controlled inside the Bilibid prison? At parang sampal ‘yan nang ilang beses," the president said.

"How can it happen na kung mag-inspection ka sa Bilibid, you have to ask permission from the idiot inside. Hay nako... This is my first day. I'm warning them there, they have the TVs there inside," he added.

Zero tolerance

Duterte reiterated what he frequently mentioned during his campaign, that he would not tolerate drugs.

"These are the things that we have to stop and that is why I said I would be harsh, not cruel but I would be harsh and wala akong tolerance sa droga. Zero. ‘Yan ang laban natin ngayon," he said.

To the soldiers, he said, "Kayong nagbakasyon dito from the fields in Mindanao and in the Visayas. You might want just to join the hunt for them. We will eliminate the drug lords once and for all."

To drug lords, he warned, "We have to stop this practice sa Bilibid. Bitawan na ninyo ‘yan o kainin na ninyo ngayon ang supply ninyo." 

Duterte noted that some of those in Bilibid were convicted in Davao City, where he was mayor for 23 years.

"Nawala na talaga ang pasensya ko sa inyo. Iniinsulto ninyo kami. Hinuli ko nga kayo sa Davao kasi nagluluto kayo ng shabu. Hindi ko kayo pinatay dahil magalit ang [Commission on] Human Rights (CHR). Dinala ko kayo diyan sa Muntinlupa after conviction at pagdating diyan, nagluluto na naman ng shabu. Anong klase?" he said.

Time to die

Duterte, despite CHR's pronouncements against the president's harsh and threatening words, warned drug lords that it is time for them to rest and die.

"Noon kasi ‘di ako presidente, ngayon well, we’ll just have to make some adjustment. You know there is always a time for everything. There’s always a time for you to make money and make a mockery out of our  laws," he said.

"There’s always a time for you to be in control even if you are inside the prison. But there is always a time to rest and to die. Ganon ang buhay. As you are born, there’s also death," he added.

The president said the government can no longer put up with the "insult" being hurled at them by drug dealers.

"I’m not threatening you. I’m just telling you that there is always a time. For us, the security forces, the Armed Forces and the police, there is always a time. We can only take so much insult. We can only take so much, hanggang kaya lang ng sikmura namin. Ako ay nasusuka na.  You have to help me put it stop," Duterte aid.

Before ending his speech, Duterte reminded the public about staking his honor, life, and the presidency to suppress crime, drugs, and corruption. 

"Sinabi ko sa inyong mga kriminal, lahat kayo: If you destroy my country, I will kill you. If you destroy our children, I will kill you. If I am asked by anybody, including the Commission on Human Rights, I do not know you," he said. —KG/VVP, GMA News