Take me as just not as a President but as a somebody who is here to make a plea, a pleading.
Alam mo nangyayari talaga sa buhay ng sundalo itong mga ganitong… Whatever be the reason ng kabila or whatever be the motive the fact is you are in a place where everybody is holding a firearm. So it is not easy for one to lose his patience or maybe ‘yung nakalimutan niya ‘yung esprit de corps at in a moment of insanity ginawa ‘yon.
Iyong namatay na mga sundalo si Indamog, Managuelod, Velasco and Asula. It was a waste of lives actually. But ever since ‘yung araw na ‘yon, I am — totoo I was really very sad kasi mahal ko ang sundalo ko.
At ‘yung pagmamahal ko sa inyo just like the giving of the gifts, natural ‘yan. Do not take it as a form of bribery or what. Anyway you must remember that it’s government property also, it’s not ours.
Itong nangyari masama. Pati ako on the sideline, nakita ko na hindi nga maganda and it has generated so much maybe hatred and so muchanimosity between the two units sa PNP pati ang Armed Forces of the Philippines, which is not good because in the end it will be the people will bear the brunt of all these things.
Alam mo hindi ko kayo mapigilan. Kung gusto ninyong gumanti o gusto ninyong mag-resbak and then go ahead, I cannot stop you. But also at the end of the day just give me one answer: Did the country benefit from furthering the violence?
Alam ko galit kayo at dapat magalit talaga kayo, eh ako mismo galit eh sa sitwasyon, sa nangyari.
But I am here to just make a simple request, a plea na ‘yung nangyari, the best thing for us to do which is the only way para sa atin… Nasaan ‘yung NBI nandito? Sumama ba ‘yung NBI? [Official: Wala sir, negative sir.]
I have directed the director to investigate. Sinabi ko sa kanya imbestigahin mo, search for the truth at kung nakita na ninyo, make it public so that everybody will understand the situation.
Kasi kung hindi ninyo mahintay at ang sakit ninyo… Eh it makes life a bit dangerous and uncomfortable ka kasi kayo mismo magkita diyan sa labas masalubong mo kung saan but baka ipauna ninyo ‘yung galit ninyo forgetting that there is a more important task to do and that is to protect the people of the Philippines.
Let us not lose sight of that reality. Alam ko na talagang gusto mong umupak rin eh. Pero at the end of the day I will ask you simply: What good did it do for all of us and for our country?
Alam mo sabi ko hindi talaga maiwasan ‘to. I remember may apat na pulis na napatay ng Army in a misencounter talaga, misencounter. And so there were so much recrimations — recriminations from different units that I was also bothered. I was looking for a way how to handle the situation. Para kasi the ship of state is sailing. Hindi naman typhoon but a little bit turbulent water.
Nandito ako para manghingi ng tulong sa inyo. Help me make the waters calm kasi ang ating bayan, the ship of state is sailing in that area. Noong ang pulis ang namatay apat — I am not comparing, I’m just saying what I did. Noong nakita ko medyo mainit, kayo you were there in the command conference. I’m sure kung anong sinabi ko sa inyo, I do not want to hear anything about that incident at all.
Mahirap kasi na mag-ano ng istorya ng patayan ng mga tao mo. It is not a pleasant task and it’s not a good one. So nakalimutan na ‘yon. Now, huwag ninyong isipin na ‘yan rin ang gusto ko kasi may nakita akong mali, mag-neutral na lang ako sa salita ko.
But I have my own misgivings about the whole thing. But pending the release or pending the [investigation] of the NBI, we all must just keep our silence and hope that the NBI would find the truth for us. Trabaho nila ‘yan at… [Yes, sir?] Trabaho nila ‘yan and I’m sure that they would not fail me. Kilala ko itong mga ‘to, sila. Matagal na ito sa ano.
Ang sabi ko get the truth. Huwag mong sobrahan, huwag mong kulangan, iyong totoo lang because it will save us the trouble. You bungle everything at may nakita, may nasilip sila na hindi totoo or a concocted one, we cannot control the trouble. Well, kayo na lang ang barilin ko para matapos.
Pumunta ako dito hihingi ako ng tulong ninyo. I am pleading. Nakikiusap ako. Nihangyo ko ninyo na tabangan ko ninyo pagpakalma, to keep the waters in the meantime calm and we wait for the result of the investigation.
Iyan ang pinuntahan ko dito kasi mahal ko ang sundalo ko. Mahal ko rin ang pulis ko. Puro nagtatrabaho. And at the end of the day, maski ano ang desisyon dito sa baba, ‘pag sinabi ko na huwag na muna, do not… Eh nasusunod. Ako ang nasusunod kaya I feel so responsible sa mga pulis ko pati sa mga militar.
There is now this raging feeling of maybe hate. It could be hate which is a dangerous thing really to nurture. It does not do any good because there’s the investigation. And I am giving you my word of honor that the investigation will proceed to find out the truth unfettered, unbridled by anybody except ‘yung sa trabaho. Walang makialam at ‘yung totoo lang. Iyon ang maasahan ninyo. At kung sino man ang may kasalanan, then he has to pay for it.
What I’m saying is we’re trying to figure out how we can in the meantime do something to give you the assurance that justice will be done. So I’m giving
it to you, I said, as a word of honor of a President na I will find out the truth from the investigators and I hope that it would satisfy all.
Wala namang iba eh. You want to take revenge? For what? Gusto ko rin pumatay ng pulis? For what? Would it make the four officers come back to life?
At ‘yung mga pulis kung may kasalanan — kung may kasalanan — eh ‘di hintayin natin at pagkatapos, they will be prosecuted either a court martial or a regular court, wala akong pakialam.
I said I do not — I do not… Itanong ninyo maski sino, maski kayo mga opisyal, there never was a time na may hiningi ako na pabor na “ganito, ganito” ilakad ko isang tao.