By Deighton Acuin

PHOTO: PCOO

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday persists with his promises of stepping down, this time if he cannot give the “barest minimum” of peace in Mindanao.

“Pag ganun ang gobyerno, mag-resign na lang ako sa totoo lang. Hindi ako atat na atat talagang maging Presidente but if I cannot at least [give] the barest minimum of a peaceful place, then I have no reason to stay. It would be a failure,” Duterte said in a speech at Camp Siongco in Maguindanao.

“Wala akong magawa e, I must be frank enough and be humble that you know, sorry. Sinubukan ko lahat, di umubra.”

Following the latest atrocities in a Maguindanao town, Duterte said he could only “imagine the horror of the people there running back and forth.”

“Is that the kind of government that I can give to the people? Sabi ko kung hindi ko kaya, p**** i** magreresign ako. Then you can demand my resignation and maybe I will consider it,” Duterte added.

The President also said he was saddened by the incident, saying: “I am moved to tears to see what is really happening. It’s pure carnage. The ultimate beneficiaries of the violence created here are the civilians.”

On May 8, more than 100 Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) gunmen stormed the town of Datu Paglas in Maguindanao, prompting a gunfire exchange with the military troops.

There were no reported casualties in the six-hour standoff, according to authorities.

However, this was not the first time Duterte had promised to quit from presidency given certain conditions. The latest of which is when he said that he would resign if proven he was lying in his accusation that retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario were involved in the decision to withdraw Philippine Navy ships from the West Philippine Sea.


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