Duterte openly admits killing 3 criminals in Davao City

“Criminality has to stop,” said presidential aspirant and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, admitting that he has killed three criminals in Davao City.

In an interview with radio DZMM, Duterte was asked if he has already killed criminals.

“Marami na,” Duterte said, adding that he has killed three kidnappers during an operation.

The tough-talking mayor recalled an incident when a girl was kidnapped and the perpetrators refused to surrender.

“One time, may kinidnap silang babae, so binigay ng pamilya yung pangalan ko. I was there sa vicinity,” he said.

Duterte said he asked the kidnappers to surrender, but they refused to heed the mayor’s call.

“Sabi ko, taas kamay. Hindi tinaas, so binaril ko,” he said.

Asked if this wasn’t a human rights violation, Duterte said he was doing his job as a person in authority.

“They were committing a crime in my presence, and I was a person in authority under the law,” he said.

Under his administration, he said he would allow policemen to kill criminals but would also send warning to erring policemen.

“Sinasabi ko sa mga pulis, ‘pag gumawa kayo ng masama, mauuna talaga kayo,” he said.

Duterte, who formally filed his certificate of candidacy on Tuesday at the Commission on Elections, has been criticized by human rights groups for his alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings in Davao City.