“I just pray to God that this will not really go out of control,” says 76-year old PHL leader
(Eagle News) – Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte stressed the delicate situation the world faces due to the threat of nuclear war in case tensions further escalate between Ukraine and Russia that could spill over to the rest of Europe and the world.
Duterte said he is just praying that things would not go out of control as the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
“Kaya nga ‘yang Russia pati Ukraine nag-agawan sila diyan. I just pray to God that this will not really go out of control,” Duterte said on Saturday, March 5, during the inauguration of the first-ever farmers’ market in Narvacan, Ilocos Sur.
-Threat of nuclear war-
“Nasabi ko na nga sa inyo maybe probably you might have heard me on TV na ‘pag hindi ito nakontrol, delikado ang mundo. Once they start to push the button of nuclear warheads or nuclear bomb, well, sabi nga ng isang commentator, it will melt the world,” he said in his speech.
Russia is the country with the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world.
Based on data from the Federation of American Scientists, Russia has 5,977 nuclear warheads. According to experts, 1,588 of these warheads are already “deployed” and ready for use.
On the other hand, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has 5,943 nuclear warheads, specifically from these NATO countries: the United States with 5,428; France with 290; and the United Kingdom with 225.
-Hiroshima, Nagasaki bombing remembered-
Duterte recalled how the “more primitive” atomic bomb unleashed by the United States in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II had flattened these areas to the ground and killed many people.
“Eh sa Hiroshima, that was a primitive bomb, Nagasaki, nawarak ‘yung puwesto, flattened to the ground,” he said.
In Hiroshima, around 140,000 people were killed by the atomic bomb dropped by the United States, while in Nagasaki, a further 74,000 people were killed. The survivors faced terrible side-effects from the radiation that caused leukemia, cancer, among others, according to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) which is a coalition of non-governmental organizations promoting adherence to and implementation of the United Nations nuclear weapon ban treaty.
-Duterte warns,”Watch out for Putin, he is suicidal”-
Duterte said that the actions of all those involved should be carefully measured and that they should “watch out for” Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. He described him as “suicidal” echoing an observation he made six years ago before he became president.
“So ngayon, let us just be hopeful, keep our fingers crossed na walang katok doon. But if you were listening diyan sa international channels, I made a statement six years ago before I became a President. Ang pina-describe ko tinanong ako about Russia,” the 76-year old Philippine leader recalled.
“Sabi ko, the Americans will never stomach death and destruction. Takot sila, takot sila. Sabi ko the Americans will not … but you watch out for Putin, he is suicidal. Hindi suicide ano, talagang su… Kaya ‘pag mapahiya siya dito, magwawala ‘yan,” he noted.
“And I realized it when I went to Russia. I had a talk with him on all aspects of life, matagal na. Sabi niya na kung magkaibigan tayo? Sabi ko wala ako, wala akong away sa iyo,” Duterte noted recalling his visit to Moscow, Russia. Duterte visited Russia twice: first in 2017 which he had to cut short because of the Marawi siege; and in October 2019 during a five-day official visit.
-PHL neutral for now, but could be forced to take sides –
The Philippine leader said he wanted to stay “neutral” on the issue, but also said that there would come a time that the country would be forced to take sides.
“Ako naman, we stay neutral. But reality tells me that in the end, we’ll just have to select which side we would be,” Duterte said.
But he said that it is clear what the sentiments of Filipinos, and the rest of the world have: no to the use of nuclear weapons.
“Now, of course, I know that the sentiment prevailing almost throughout the country ke ma-Ilocano, Bisaya, Ilonggo, Bicolano ang… Hindi ko nakalimutan itong speech I’m talking of the reality. Eh ako kasi umaga pa nagbabantay na ako ng — bahala na ‘yung magpatayan sila doon. Huwag lang maggamit ng nuclear device because talo na tayong lahat, pati tayo damay,” Duterte said.
(Eagle News Service)