Duterte grew up in a simple frugal lifestyle -Palace

President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his address during the PMA alumni homecoming in Baguio City. SCREENGRAB FROM RTVM

FORT DEL PILAR, BAGUIO CITY—President Duterte on Saturday called for stronger military support for his war on drugs and terrorism and his program to build a peaceful and prosperous nation.

In a speech before Philippine Military Academy (PMA) alumni, Mr. Duterte said that when he was Davao City mayor he “kept on harping” on peace and order because “if there is peace and order, businesses and everything else will follow.”

This could happen to the rest of the country as it did in Davao, he added.

“But I need the help of each one, especially the military, not for social control but [for the] protection of the citizens from the lawless, the reckless and the selfish,” he said.

He made the call a week before the country marked the 31st anniversary of the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who used the military to enforce iron rule.

“What I desire for the Philippines is a prosperous country that includes everyone —a peace loving citizenry and people with different beliefs who chose to get along with one another,” he said

He said government must serve the people “not just the interest of the few.”

“In the past, our government verged on failure because those who were in the position to help deliberately made wrong decisions, which favored only themselves,” he said. “We will always uphold the sanctity of the common good as the highest good.”

Two main threats

He said military support was needed in battling two main threats—the “complex” problem of illegal drugs and terrorism from the Abu Sayyaf, which is engaged in ransom-kidnappings and in bringing the extremism of the Islamic State group into the Philippines from the Middle East.

The President’s appeal to the military comes not long after he sidelined the police from the war on drugs and blasted the corruption in the Philippine National Police.