(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte asked Filipinos to give him three or four years to turn around the country, as he spoke with overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong.
“Give me time. Three to four years, I will have solved almost all of the problems by then,” he said.
In his speech, the President said he would fulfill his promise to rid the country of graft and corruption.
But he told OFWs in Hong Kong that they should also stand up against corruption.
Stand up against corruption, Duterte tells OFWs
“Be assertive. Stand up againt graft and corruption,” he said.
“It is not fair. I will not allow my country to go to the dogs.
One way is by making a scene if ever a policeman, an immigration agent, or any official would try to extort money from them, he said.
Duterte said his concern was to bring jobs for the country, so there would be more employment opportunities for Filipinos.
“Hopefully something good will come out in this journey,” he said before he ended his speech.
One Belt, One Road Forum
After his Hong Kong trip, he would proceed to Beijing, China upon the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping for the One Belt, One Road Forum. He first spoke at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on ASEAN in Cambodia before coming to Hong Kong.
During his speech in Hong Kong, he again promised to put up an “OFW Bank” for the benefit of the Filipino overseas workers.
He also promised to rid the country of the illegal drug problem, so, he said, the children of OFWs would not fall into the drug menace, or be rescued from this trap.
Duterte said there is already a marked improvement in the peace and order situation in the country, but stressed that more still needed to be done.