Intent on stepping down after his six-year term in 2022, President Duterte is not aspiring to become “a politician forever.”
The President said he is unaware if he will survive the three years left in office but vowed anew not to stay beyond his term.
“I will not be President for so long. This is my third year. It’s just in the wings and my end will come,” he said before an assembly of motorcycle club members in Iloilo City Saturday.
“I don’t know if I will be able to survive the three years remaining but God willing I assure you everybody here that I will step down at the end of my term. I am not interested to prolong it a day. I do not have the – well, the choice of being a politician forever,” he said.
Duterte admitted that he even offered to resign due to his exasperation with corruption in government. He made offer to cut short his term during a meeting with top military and police officers after learning about the alleged irregularities in a military hospital.
“As a matter of fact, I’m tired, really tired,” said Duterte, who repeatedly declared his zero tolerance for corruption and his plan to weed out erring public servants. “There was a time when I offered to step down before the military and the police in a conference and the second time, I was so exasperated by the corruption,” he said.
In the remainder of his term, the President has promised to focus on sustaining the campaign against illegal drugs, crime, and corruption.
He stressed that the country would not attain progress if corruption remains rampant as well as law and order are not maintained. “Remember this: I will not stay forever. I will not be a part of the political scenery in the coming years. We still have to travel that much. But this I can tell you now and you will remember it because if you do not remember it, our country will lose,” he said. (Genalyn Kabiling)
