President Rodrigo Duterte renewed his order to the police to dismantle the drug trade in the Philippines as he assured them that they would not go to jail for doing their duty.
Duterte told the police to ignore criticisms from human rights groups who have been critical on his administration’s war on drugs.
“We protect and serve our nations. We have to prepare the world of our descendants for tomorrow. If we cannot do something now sa drugs, your grandchildren will suffer and we would have left a life and a nation to them that is still in shambles,” he said in his speech during the 117th Police Service Anniversary at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
The President, who said in his State of the Nation Address (Sona) that his war on drugs would be “relentless and chilling,” warned drug syndicates on the consequences of their illegal acts.
“If you run a billion [drug] industry in my country, I will not let it pass. It’s either you kill me or I will kill you all,” he said.
“I do not give a s*** about criticism for criticisms after all do not make a country progress and develop,” he added, citing that some of the criticisms hurled against him were politically motivated.
“[T]hey cannot accept defeat,” he said.
Duterte assured the police with his oft-repeated statement that he would not allow them to go to jail.
“Never mind the idiots about the human rights, they cannot help you. But I will be here — I will — as a President, I will never allow you to go to jail,” he said.
“Just do your duty, wala kayong isipin. I will provide the lawyer for you,” he added.
Lame duck President
Duterte claimed he was a “lame duck’ President who doesn’t care about the critics “screaming” against his war on drugs and unconventional anti-criminality campaign.
He cited how criminals and drug addicts have killed innocent individuals, including “pregnant prosecutors,” but said the human rights groups “never raise hell.”
“But when you kill a criminal, a drug addict, a pusher, a drug lord, they come screaming. So I asked them, “Sino ba ang niloloko ninyo?” You threaten me with an ICC [International Criminal Court] case,” he said.
“Look, I have hit the firewall. I cannot run again. For all intents and purposes, actually, I am a lame duck President. If you are talking about politics, okay. I will not interfere anyway because after this, I cannot even run for a barangay captain. ” he said.
A complaint has been filed before Duterte at the ICC for the alleged extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, stemming from his no-nonsense war on drugs. /vvp