By ARGYLL GEDUCOS
AMMAN, Jordan – President Duterte on Thursday thanked Jordan King Abdullah II for providing weapons to the Philippines to boost its defense capabilities.
Duterte, in a working lunch with the Jordanian monarch at the Al Husseiniya Palace here, said that the weapons will be of great help to the Philippines.
“And of course, our concern against terrorism which brings us here the, well of course what we have discussed, the arms that would be of great help. If there’s any value, it is of value and the friendship that goes with it,” he said.
Special Assistant to the President Christopher Go confirmed that Jordan will turn over two second-hand Cobra attack helicopters in July next year to the country after the training of Filipino pilots. Go also said that Jordan will also give mortars, rifles, and rocket-propelled grenades to the country.
Duterte and Abdullah agreed that it will take a long time before terrorism would be completely purged.
Abdullah told Duterte that it will take not only the next 10 to 15 years to overcome the influence of “horrible” people in Southeast and Western Asia.
“Over the past several months, if not the past year or two, the cooperation between our two countries to fight the evil that you have to suffer within your country as we suffer in ours, I think is a testament to the international cooperation and coordination that is now becoming much more apparent,” the King said. “This is an issue that’s going to last with us not only for the next five to 10, 15 years as you are trying very hard to be very quick, but it’s going to take us a while to overcome the mentalities that these very horrible people perpetrated in your region and in mine,” he added.
Duterte agreed that it will take a long time before terrorism could be quelled, but hopes that the next generation would not be able to experience any terrorist act.
“And terrorism is the scourge of mankind today and it will take us about a lot more years to stop it. I really do not know how long,” Duterte told Abdullah. “God’s will. But Insha’Allah, I hope that it will, maybe, not so much for this generation but for the next generation for them to live comfortably,” he added.
Duterte also told Abdullah that the Islamic State would most likely target the Philippines if they are running out of territory in the Middle East. “There’s a lot of activity sponsored by the ISIS. If they’re running out of ground here in the Middle East and if they look to find ways, maybe transfer their headquarters, they would choose Southeast Asia and Mindanao, it’s a place where where there’s a lot of our Muslim brothers and Christian sisters live there,” he said.