The following transcript is an excerpt of President Elect Rodrigo Duterte’s comments on contractualization at the PiliPinas Debates 2016 on April 24, 2016 at the Phinma University of Pangasinan in Dagupan City. The debates were sponsored by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in preparation for the May 9, 2016 general election and moderated by broadcast journalists Tony Velasquez and Karen Davila. 

Davila: Tuloy po tayo sa PiliPinas 2016 Presidential Townhall Debate. At mainit na harapan, live po yan dito sa Dagupan, Pangasinan.

Diretso na po tayo sa issue #3, permanenteng trabaho. Yan ang inaasahan po ng bawat Pilipino. Trabahong bumubuhay po sa kanilang pamilya.

Pero paano na lang po kung ang trabaho eh pang-ilang buwan lamang at wala pong

kasiguruhan. Ano ang maaaring gawin ng isang ama na tulad po ni Carlos?

[Video playing]

Napakalungkot ko ng…po ng problema ni Carlos. Alam niyo po, nakaabot po siya ng third year college. Ang kurso po niya Electrical Engineering. Problema po ito ng maraming Pilipino pero hanggang ngayon, wala pa rin siyang permanenteng trabaho.

Mayor Duterte?

Duterte: Yes, ma’am. The moment I assume the presidency, contractualization will stop. They have to stop it. Kasi…

[Crowd cheering]

…ganito yan eh, we spend so much money of government and people, ang mga bata studying sa TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority). Then they apply and they are accepted as electrician, carpenter.

Ang problema ho, after six months because ang mga kumpanya, ayaw magbayad ng mga bonuses and even the 13th month pay. Kasi pag-abot ng – pag kasi pagdating ng one year n’yan, they have to be paid. Yung mga bonus lahat na.

So to do away with it, tatanggalin nila before six months. That has to stop kasi sayang. At ang mga workers natin, cannot acquire the skills that they learned from TESDA because electrician, maya-maya paalisin siya, maghahanap siya ng ibang carpenter. And even you go abroad, it says three years experience.

Our people, the young people cannot ever, ever acquire the experience and the enterprise to really be an electrician kasi, doon sa ibang trabaho kargador, yung iba boy lang siya, yung iba konduktor or iba talagang walang trabaho. So that is an injustice committed against the people of the Republic of the Philippines. I will not allow that as President of this country.
[Bell rings]

===============

 Davila: Thirty seconds for our second round. Mayor Duterte sabi niyo, “you will stop it.”

Duterte: Yes. I said, “immediately.” What I will do is I will call the [House] Speaker and the Senate President after their elections and everybody, may constitution na doon, internal. Then I will call all, mostly, the majority, mga Liberal Congressman, you pass this bill immediately.

Senate, sabihin ko, “I need it first week of my administration.” Ganoon lang. Gawin ninyo.

[Bell rings]

[Applause]

That’s the president ordering everybody.

===============

Velasquez: Salamat, Karen. Bagong bayani, lumang problema. Higit sampung milyong pilipino ang nakikipagsapalaran sa ibang bansa, nangungulila, nagsasakripisyo para mabigyan ng magandang buhay ang kanilang mga pamilya.

At sabi nga ni Nanay (Christy), darating pa kaya ang panahon na makakauwi silang mga OFW at hindi na kailangang umalis pa muli. Panoorin natin ‘to.

[Video Playing]

Wala po akong katabi dito ngayon. Pero ang ilang po sa ating mga kababayan na nasa Dubai ay kasama natin ngayon. Naghihintay po sila na marinig po ang inyong sagot. Sila po ay nanonood via Skype.

Velasquez: Mayor Duterte?

[Ting]

Duterte: It is almost an everyday spectacle to read the newspapers about the abuses of our brothers and sisters abroad working as OFW. I propose to create one government only to take care of the OFW. Lahat ng kailangan, permit, ano, diyan na nila kukunin sa administrasyon na yan, sa – it’s going to be a department to take care of them.

Second, is I will create a bank para ang remittances, nila hindi na sila magpunta doon sa mga dicer. They can go to the bank and we will have a bank in every place where they are.

And third, make it mandatory for the Consul General or Consul to keep track of the Filipinos abroad. And at the first sign of abuse, and if they want to go home, libre na ’yan. We will fund it. And if they get sick…

[Applause]

…I will pay the hospital.

Wala nang ano – sa Pilipino, we will have the credit line in all of the hospitals. ’Yung nabugbog, they want to come home immediately, bigyan sila ng ticket. Mandatory lahat ’yan.

Kung sinong gustong umuwi, he wants the contract suspended, then, she will have the legal aid. At ang importante sa lahat, everybody is looking after the welfare of the Filipinos.

That is the mandatory…

[Ting]

…duty of the Consular services.

Velasquez: I – salamat po. Iikot po tayong….

[Crowd cheering]

…muli sa ating mga kandidato. Thirty seconds po muli para po sa kanila na magdagdag sa kanilang kasagutan.

Velasquez: Mayor Duterte.

Duterte: They should be given a shopping list by the DOLE or whatever of a – or sa opisina, OFW. If they have complied it, wala na silang idagdag at walang kunan ha, para hindi na pabalik-balik.

That is the agony, ang kalbaryo ng ating mga Pilipino, including the seamen. Kung anong hinihingiin, eh, kinokurakot kasi. And that’s a problem. They even complain about corruption in government.

That’s why government stop…

[Ting]

…sa corruption.

Velasquez: Maraming salamat po.

Harapan kandidato sa kandidato. Sila-sila na ang magtutuos sa pagbabalik ng PiliPinas 2016 Presidential Town Hall Debate. CPM