Duterte warns criminals: I am not kidding

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. INQUIRER MINDANAO FILE PHOTO

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte insisted he means business in eradicating crime and illegal drugs during the first six months of his presidency if elected in the May elections.

“If you are a drug pusher or a kidnapper, I will really kill you. They think I’m joking. But why would I joke about that?” Duterte said in Filipino during a convention of civil registrars in Davao City on Wednesday night.

The tough talking local executive reiterated his vow to bust crime and illegal drugs after his rival and administration bet Manuel “Mar” Roxas II said he was just making false promises.

READ: ‘Pambobola’: Roxas twits Duterte’s 6-month anticrime deadline

“Itong 3-6 months na ito, pambobola ito eh. Lahat ng eksperto na nakakaalam sa krimen, nagsasabing imposible ito,” Roxas told reporters in Oriental Mindoro on Wednesday.

(Duterte is just pulling your legs when he says that he can eradicate crime in three to six months. Experts in dealing with crime know this is impossible.)

But Duterte hit back to Roxas, saying he was soft and was not willing to killing people.

“Are you afraid to kill? Are you afraid to die? Try me. Try holding shabu, I will shoot you in the head,” Duterte said in Filipino.

The mayor said he was committed to fulfill his promise in a short period of time.

“What if I kill them all in one day, what is it to you? I did it before, I can do it again,” he said.

Duterte has received criticisms from human rights group for his iron-fisted style of leadership but the mayor has repeatedly said that he would kill criminals but only if the law allows it.

READ: Duterte vows to continue killing criminals ‘in accordance with law’

“If they offer resistance, kill them,” he said.

Addressing criticism that his administration would be bloody if he becomes President, Duterte said it was true.

“If you are a criminal, if you rape a child, I will hunt you like a dog and I will kill you. Why would I let you live?” he said.

Asked about Roxas’ assertion that Davao City has the fourth highest crime rate in the country, he said his rival has his facts wrong.

“Wala kang alam (You do not know anything). You don’t know about the local government, about the laws,” he said.

READ: Duterte twits Roxas: He’s a ‘failed politician’

In previous interviews, Duterte said the high crime volume in Davao City was because police statistics included minor violations like smoking in public.

He added that more crimes get reported in Davao City because it is easy to do so through the 911 Emergency Response Center, which can be contacted even by mobile phone.

Duterte has always said that as mayor, he does not have direct control of the police and that it was in fact Roxas who was on top of the Philippine National Police (PNP) when he was the Interior secretary.

“You were the one who had control of the police, not us. That’s why it’s called the national police,” he said. IDL

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