Duterte assails NGOs

DAVAO City Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte trained his ire on non-government organizations (NGOs) for constantly blaming government every time calamities like floods hit the metropolis.

"You must be crazy, guys. You're crazy people, you always blame us," an irate Duterte said during his regular television program "Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa" aired Sunday morning.

He did not identify the NGOs that infuriated him, but he kept on repeating his distaste for these groups during the program co-hosted by lady lawyer Geraldine Tiu.

He said the flooding happened because the Davao River and other tributaries overflowed as a result of continuous rain, not because of deforestation in Mt. Apo as the NGOs are claiming.

"You cannot flog a dead horse," Duterte said, adding that these NGOs always "start to crucify the Filipino" every time there is a catastrophe.

Duterte said what happened was the effect of climate change which, he explained, is caused by carbon and other air pollutants from developed countries like the United States and China.

Duterte said the rainfall last weekend that caused flooding was like the amount of water consumption for the entire Davao City in one year.

"We never contributed significantly as to alter or change the climate of the planet," he said,

He also took a dig at some quarters for suggesting that City Hall impose a no habitation policy near the river banks after the series of flooding incidents.

"The habitation is not in the rural area. It is in the urban areas," Duterte said.

"Muingon sila karon, clear the bank because you have to establish a buffer zone. Okay we start tomorrow. Gub-on ta na tanang mga balay sa river bank. Asa man ni nimo ibutang ang mga tao? (Now they say clear the river bank because you have to establish a buffer zone. Okay, we start tomorrow. We will demolish the houses in the river bank. Where will you relocate the people?)," he said.

Duterte said the city has no budget for any relocation area if the no habitation policy will be implemented.

"If you we try to enforce the buffer zone, do you have the money? How much is the city earning? Is the economy that great that we are earnin trillions of pesos? There is no money to do that," Duterte said.

"If I have the money, I could have expropriated those landowners and relocated the people near the riverbanks," he added.

The vice mayor said even if buffer zones will be established, those who will mostly be affected are the poor.