Grand Ballroom, Mandarin Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
November 9, 2016

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte met with the Filipino community in Malaysia held in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur.

Speaking before some 2000 Filipinos gathered at the Grand Ballroom of Mandarin Hotel, President Duterte gave updates on the recent developments in the country, including his administration’s continuous war against drugs, the ongoing peace talks with the communist group, and the peace process in Mindanao.

“Sabi ko nga hurry up to federal talaga natin, there is no way that we can have peace in Mindanao without going federal system. ‘Yan ang gusto ng mga Moro, noon pa, at ‘yan ang gusto ng mga komunista,” he said.

President Duterte also thanked the Malaysian government through the leadership of Prime Minister Najib Razak and its people for being kind and civil to the Filipinos living in Malaysia.

At the end of his speech, the President expressed his commitment to make the country corruption-free, as he promised during the Presidential elections earlier this year. “…The thing I promise you is there will be no corruption, absolutely. And I will try to make this country, yung Pilipinas, a better place where someday you can come back and settle down and find an income,” he said.

According to Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Jose Eduardo Malaya III, President Duterte won 75% of the overseas votes in Malaysia in the national elections last May 2016.

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