“Ayaw kong ibrutalize ka,” he says
(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday warned soldiers against leaving their military camps without any weapons, noting they should not allow themselves to be “brutalized” by the enemy.
“I will overrule that kind of regulation (regulation prohibiting government security forces from bringing guns outside their camps) because it is stupid,” he said in a speech during the turnover of around 3000 guns to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
In his speech, the President also announced the creation of the Order of Lapu Lapu to honor brave men in the battlefield.
He noted the soldiers were “fighting criminality, drugs and terrorism” after all, and needed the weapons to protect themselves.
He urged the soldiers to place their guns where they would not be seen, as their “best defense is to not let anybody know” they have a gun with them.
He noted that they should also be “aware of (their) environment,” and have “presence of mind.”
“Pag may makita kang isang tao, sumilip ka…Highly mobile sila (ang kalaban). Isa doon kunwari naghihintay. Pag lumabas ka at nagchange position, unahan mo na (na magbunot ng baril),” he said.
Should they find themselves in a bind, soldiers should prefer an honorable death rather than surrender to “the enemy,” Duterte said.
“Bakit ka magpakamatay na bababuyin ka…Ayaw kong ibrutalize ka,” he said.
Not for creating “ruckus”
The President, however, reminded soldiers they should not use their weapons for personal use nor to create a “ruckus.”
“Maliit na bagay, huwag niyo patulan. Mga sundalo tayo,” he said.
He also reminded commanders to ensure that their men are reminded about this “at least once a week.”
“Sundalo, take control of your men…Try to inculcate in them the discipline (and that the gun) is a very dangerous toy,” he said.