Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2
May 24, 2017
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City after cutting short his official visit to the Russian Federation.
In his arrival statement, the President talked about his declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao in response to the crisis in Marawi City. President Duterte also stressed that his oath of office is to serve and protect the Filipino nation.
“The emergence of new forms of terrorism and existence of non-traditional security threats reinforce the need to broaden and widen our network of allies to strengthen our security cooperation. It is my constitutional mandate to enforce the law and ensure that every family and community are assured to live in peace and harmony,” the Commander-In-Chief said.
He urged the Filipino people to help in suppressing lawless violence and plans to expand the scope of the declaration in order to restore law and order throughout the Philippines.
“If I think ISIS has already taken control in Luzon and terrorism is not really far behind, I might declare martial law throughout the country to protect the people”, he remarked.
Likewise, President Duterte mentioned his brief meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and tagged Russia as his ‘true friend’.
“Shortly before going back to the Philippines, I met with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow after official plans were changed to facilitate our meeting. I expressed appreciation for the warm welcome, hospitality, extended to me and my delegation after their flexibility and understanding to reschedule our meeting,” he said.
He also delivered a stern warning to terrorist groups as he vowed to put an end to terrorism under his administration.
“If it takes a year to do it, then we’ll do it. If it’s over within a month, then I would be happy. I warn you again, do not do it because as I have said, my response would be harsh. I will not hesitate to do everything to protect the Filipino nation,” the President stated.
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