The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) wants Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte investigated for allegedly being behind the summary execution of notorious criminals in his city.
HRW is amusing.
It calls on our government to investigate Duterte, the mayor of a city far removed from US soil, while it kept quiet when New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani rid the city of hoodlums using similar tough and uncompromising methods Duterte is known for.
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Before Giuliani took over the reins of the Big Apple, criminality was rampant; muggings and rape cases were common.
When Giuliani became mayor, notorious hoods were found dead in the streets.
Of course, the New York Police Department attributed the deaths to wars between gangs or turf fights because they couldn’t solve the killings.
For how could the police solve the murders if they themselves were involved or knew who the killers were?
Giuliani, who is of Italian descent, reportedly sought the help of the Mafia, a gang composed of Italian-Americans, in ridding the streets of criminals, although his alleged link to the group has been the subject of speculation.
The hoods, who were known to the police, were reportedly warned to leave the city. Those who didn’t either disappeared or ended up dead.
New York City residents and transients didn’t care what method Giuliani used in making their city safe, as long as they could walk in Central Park, once notorious for muggings, unmolested by hoods.
Question: Where was the HRW when Giuliani, who is said to have lowered the crime rate in New York, was driving away criminals there?
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Before Duterte took over as mayor, Davao City was a “killing field.”
Innocent citizens were being shot dead in the streets and even inside their homes.
The police were helpless in running after the killers because many of their members were also victims. The city was a no-man’s land as criminals ruled the streets .
It took Duterte, a former city prosecutor like Giuliani before he became New York City mayor, to clear the Mindanao city of criminals.
A severe problem called for a drastic solution, and Duterte was up to the challenge.
Davao City is probably the only place in the country where there is no drug problem.
It is also considered one of the safest cities in the world.
Now, why is the HRW complaining about the execution of notorious criminals when Davao City’s citizens are not?