MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Monday justified President Rodrigo Duterte’s “kill, kill, kill” order against communist rebels, saying such a directive is legal under the International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
“Kapag meron po talagang digmaan, sang-ayon sa International Humanitarian Law, eh pupuwede talagang magkaroon ng labanan at meron talagang mamamatay lalong-lalo na doon sa mga kasapi po sa labanan,” said presidential spokesperson Harry Roque during an online briefing/
(When there is war, according to the International Humanitarian Law, there can be a fight and there might be deaths from both camps involved.)
“So under IHL po, tama ;yung order ng Presidente. Kill, kill, kill kasi nga po, kapag merong labanan, kapag ang kalaban mo may baril na pwede kang patayin, alangan namang ikaw ang mag-antay na mabaril at mapatay?” he added.
(Under IHL, the President’s order was correct. Kill, kill, kill because if there’s a fight and your enemy is armed and can kill you, you wouldn’t wait to be killed right?)
Roque’s remark comes after at least nine activists were killed while six others were arrested during alleged police raids of their offices in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) region.
In a meeting with the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict last Friday, Duterte ordered the police and military to kill communist rebels.
Roque, however, said the death of the activists should be investigated since they were “unarmed.”
READ: CHR asked to probe killings of 9 activists
“So ‘yung mga siyam po na napatay, iimbestigahan po natin ‘yan. Kasi hindi po sila sakop ng International Humanitarian Law dahil noong sila ay napatay, wala naman silang hawak na baril,” Roque noted.
(The death of nine will be investigated because they are not covered by the International Humanitarian Law because they were not armed when they were killed.)
“Pero ‘yung order ng Presidente na kill, kill, kill, legal po ‘yan. Dahil ang kanyang sinabi na kill, kill, kill ay ‘yung mga rebelde na meron pong hawak na armas,” he added.
(But the President’s kill, kill, kill order is legal because he was pertaining to armed rebels.)