Malacañan Palace
March 30, 2017

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte administered the oath taking of appointed government officials and the Philippine Councilors League officers held at the Heroes Hall in Malacañan Palace.

In his speech, President Duterte talked about his campaign objectives, which included illegal drugs, corruption, criminality, and the economy. He vowed to address every one of these and to put people with expertise in-charge, particularly in the economic aspects of nation building.

The Chief Executive cited his leadership in Davao as an example to other government officials, in which he led the city to an unprecedented growth rate of 9.4 percent in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), higher than the national average.

President Duterte also urged Filipinos to contribute to nation building and said, “Now is the time because I am with you. Sa graft and corruption, I have zero tolerance… If you want your country to be the ideal country that you want, ngayon na, back up ko kayo lahat.”

He also reiterated his stance against illegal drugs and added, “Ang sakit ng loob ko dyan sa droga because it destroyed the lives of my countrymen… This campaign will not end until the drug lord, the last of them will be killed. It is an apparatus I have to destroy.”

Those who took their oath of office included Regional Development Council (RDC) chairpersons and co-chairpersons, PCL officers and other government officials.

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