WEDDING CO-SPONSORS President Duterte and Peter Lim were co-sponsors at a 2016 wedding in Cebu City.
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday offered a hard-nosed advise to alleged big time drug lord Peter Lim: Don’t surrender alive, just commit suicide.
In a speech in Malacañang, the tough-talking Chief Executive said it would be better for Lim to “tie his own neck” than surrender.
“Ito si Peter Lim, you know, if I were you, I would commit suicide,” Duterte said.“Do not ever, ever surrender to me alive because you would commit suicide.”
“Ganun din, i-abbreviate mo na, at least ikaw pa magtali sa leeg mo,” he added.
The President later said he would imprison Lim for 200 years should he choose to surrender himself to authorities.“Ikukulong ko siya ng 200 years. Eh ‘di ako sa kanya mag-suicide na lang siya,” Duterte said.
Duterte also said he believes Lim is still active and his network and alleged money laundering is “very much alive.”
“I believe that Peter Lim is still active whether he is in or out of the Philippines we do not know that for sure,” he said.
“But the network and the money laundering of Peter Lim is very much alive,” he added.
He then warned of a “harsher” and “bloodier” administration war on drugs in the country.
He reiterated he has raised the government’s anti-drug campaign “to the level of a national security” and that, “In a national security threat, it’s a game of self-preservation. Either I destroy you or you destroy me.”
“And I am declaring war. I am not declaring a punitive police action. It cannot help and it would not help. So early on I decided but I think I’d be more — well I said harsher in the days to come,” Duterte said.
Sought for clarification in a subsequent ambush interview, the President was asked if the “war” would be bloodier, Duterte replied: “I think so.” /kga