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President Rodrigo Duterte said he is ready to die after dismantling the “oligarchy that has been controlling the country” for many years without declaring martial law.
In a taped speech before soldiers in Jolo, Sulu aired Tuesday, Duterte said, “Kaya ko mamatay, mahulog ‘yung eroplano (I can die, even if the plane crashes), I am very happy. Alam mo bakit (You know why)? Sabi ko, without declaring martial law, I dismantled the oligarchy that controlled the economy of the Filipino people.”
“Sabi ko ang oligarchy ng Pilipinas binuwal ko talaga. Iyan ang sentimiyento ko rin para malaman mo rin (I dismantled oligarchy in the Philippines. That’s my sentiment just to let you know),” he added.
He did not pinpoint any person or group, but his remarks came less than a week the House Committee on Legislative Franchises denied ABS-CBN’s bid to renew its franchise for another 25 years.
In a vote of 70-11 vote, the panel effectively shutdown the media network permanently.
Meanwhile, Duterte said he does not mind if he would be ousted as president.
“Kaya ako kung mag-decide kayo na tanggalin ako, mas mabuti. Kasi ayaw kong maghawak ng gobyerno na wala akong magawa. May mga batas kasi (If you decide to remove me, that’s better. Because I don’t want to run a government I can’t do anything about. There’s a law),” he said.
