Grace Poe: My gov’t will be tough but not murderous

PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan—In an apparent swipe at her tough-talking rival Rodrigo Duterte, Sen. Grace Poe told supporters here her government would be tough on crime and illegal drugs, but would not be a bully or be murderous.

“The people shouldn’t be afraid of their government. It’s the government that should be afraid of its people,” Poe said in a campaign rally that attracted about 30,000 people.

“I don’t want to say ‘I will kill’ because if there is a mistake and an innocent life is lost, we would just keep on seeking revenge in a never-ending cycle, and that is something to be afraid of,” Poe said.

There is no reason for people to surrender their freedom to live without fear, Poe added.

Duterte, the mayor of Davao City, has peppered his presidential campaign with threats to kill illegal drug pushers and stamp out criminality in three to six months.

Poe countered: “There are ways to resolve the country’s woes without turning to violence… Bullets are not the solution to all our problems,” she said.”

But she would be tough as well, she said. “Believe me, if you do something wrong under my government, whether you are my friend or my foe, I will have you jailed,” she said.