President Rodrigo Duterte called on Filipinos on Sunday to embrace the coming year’s uncertainty with a “glimmer of hope” amid the trials the country faced in 2017. “Let us embrace this coming year’s uncertainty with a glimmer of hope and remain determined in achieving our vision of a better and more prosperous future,” Duterte said in his New Year’s message. The 148-day siege, which ended in October, became the longest battle in the country’s history, beating the record of the 92-day Battle of Bataan in 1942. The year 2017 also marked the government’s intensified crackdown against illegal drugs, which has drawn public condemnation and outrage following the deaths of teenagers Kian Loyd delos Santos, Carl Angelo Arnaiz, and Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman. Duterte is in Davao City where he will spend the New Year with his family, according to Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 31, 2017 06:56 UTC