‘Are you just going to count the dead?’ – Duterte to groups opposing death penalty

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte lashed out again at human rights organizations opposing the revival of the death penalty, urging them to just change their careers if they would just keep on counting the dead.

Duterte said in his briefing about the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday night that if the human rights sector would remain meek about the drug menace they should shift jobs and work instead in funeral parlors.

It was not clear whether the President was referring to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), which has repeatedly criticized Duterte’s plea for Congress to reinstate capital punishment.

He pointed out that suspects in drug cases were either arrested or killed every day, with millions of pesos worth of illegal drugs seized.

He called rights groups “torpe,” or meek, when faced with cases involving illegal drugs.

“So what’s your role? Count all the dead?” Duterte said in Filipino.

Cursing, he added: “Change your job. Don’t stay in human rights. Go to a funeral parlo if that’s all the work you’re going to do.”

According to the Chief Executive, those in the human rights sector should also do campaigns wherein they would warn people about being “slaughtered” if they do drugs.

“What about the social problem, the serious and grave problems of drug addiction in this country?  What are you doing about it?  At least you have an advocacy. It does not begin and end in the life of a criminal. Have you gone mad?” Duterte asked.

“It should be something like you’d also do a campaign, all around the Philippines, warning the citizens about being killed, about being slaughtered if they do drugs.  That’s the right thing for you to do,” he added.  “Now if they are killed despite, or in spite of you educating them, then you can always investigate and file cases.”

During his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 27, Duterte asked Congress to revive the death penalty to curb crime, particularly the illegal drugs trade.  However, CHR pointed out that the President contradicted himself in the same SONA by saying that he was not shying away from human rights obligations and upholding human lives.

Last Aug. 5, CHR Commissioner Karen Gomez-Dumpit told the House panel discussing the death penalty bills that there was currently no compelling reason to bring back capital punishment — not even the anti-drug campaign, which is the centerpiece of the Duterte administration.

Dumpit said that the drug problem was not pinpointed as one of the most serious crimes according to international law.

But Duterte said: “For me, a shabu is a shabu is a shabu.”

Shabu is  the local word for crystal meth.

Duterte said he could not specify where illegal drugs were coming from. But noted that the common sources — China, Malaysia, and Indonesia — had the death penalty for certain drug-related cases.

“It’s only we here in the Philippines  who are picky,” he said.

He added that prayers and protests had done nothing to cut the drug supply chain.

“If it’s really effective, if prayers do, if the shouting inside the church, in the pulpit — if it helps, then why is it that until now, drugs are still flooding the streets? And what are we going to do about those who died, including the children?” Duterte said.

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