President Rodrigo Duterte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
TACLOBAN CITY — A high-ranking official of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) appealed to media not to take President Duterte’s statements out of context.
“We’re just appealing to the media to look at the entire statement of the President and not only the initial statement na pang-headline (for headline). Huwag lang yung leading (Please avoid ‘leading’ stories),” said DILG Undersecretary for Public Safety Jesus Hinlo.
Hinlo was reacting to the pronouncement of President Duterte that he had killed some drug suspects when he was the mayor of Davao City.
Hinlo said that while Mr. Duterte had owned up to the killings, those killings were in the context of self-defense.
Hinlo, vice chairman of Task Force Aguila, which has been running after drug suspects and so-called narco-politicians, said that whenever the President used the word “kill” in addressing police operatives, Mr. Duterte would always tell them to do so only if their lives were in danger.
“Lagi niyang sinasabi na patayin pero mayamaya sasabihin niya, pag lumaban. (He always says to kill the drug suspects but he would later say just do it if they fight back),” the DILG official said.
“But yung nahi-highlight lang ‘patayin yung mga drug pushers at addicts’ (But what gets highlighted is the order to kill). He has categorically said in the past na pag ang isang surrenderer nagsurrender, di naman tama na patayin na lang sila (He has categorically said in the past that those who surrendered should not be killed),” Hinlo said.
“Sabihin niyo lang that the President has also explained that the killings (are) justified (because) there are threats to the lives of the operating officers,” he added, referring to the media.
During his speech at the Wallace Business Forum in Malacañang on Monday night, Mr. Duterte said one-third of the nearly 6,000 drug suspects slain in his war on drugs were killed in legitimate police operations.
“I know it because—I am not trying to pull my own chair—in Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the [policemen] that if I can do it, why can’t you?” Mr. Duterte said during the Wallace Business Forum in Malacañang on Monday night.
“I go around in Davao (on) a big bike and I would just patrol the streets, looking for trouble. I was really looking for an encounter to kill,” he said.
Duterte then said allegations of human rights violations hurled at him by local and international groups would not stop him from pursuing his campaign against the illegal drug trade.
“If I am afraid [and] stop because of the human rights … sorry, I am not about to do that,” he said.
“You [want to] arrest me? Oust me? Go ahead,” he added.
“So fine. Oust me? Good. Assassinate me? Better. I have this migraine every day [anyway],” he said. (Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/8
Hinlo was in Tacloban City, on Thursday, to join the visit of Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno on Thursday.
“The President had made statements previously that drug suspects would really be killed if they posed a threat to our arresting officers,” Hinlo said.
“It is not a national policy to just kill indiscriminately; to just kill anyone,” He stressed.
“The criminals posed a threat or danger to the police operatives together with the mayor. If there is a danger to the lives of the police, maghihintay ka pa ba na ikaw ang mamamatay (would you wait to be killed?),” he added.
Hilno said that the President did not condone extrajudicial killings; neither has he given blanket authority to policemen to kill drug suspects.
“The President was categorical in saying that he does not condone extrajudicial killing; yung walang threat sa kapulisan (those who do not pose a threat to the police). He has not given blanket authority to the policemen to kill indiscriminately,” he said.
Sueno also defended President Duterte, saying the latter’s statements were likely an exaggeration.
“He was just making a hyperbole…an exaggeration just to stress a point. The President is a very intelligent man. I cannot question his wisdom; I trust his wisdom,” Sueno said during a press conference held at the VIP Lounge of the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport, this city.
“He even brags that he has lots of girlfriends,” Sueno said as an example of Duterte’s style of exaggerating to make a point.
Sueno said Duterte has made statements which only he could truly explain.
He cited an instance when Mr. Duterte, then a presidential candidate, cursed Pope Francis and attacked religious personalities.
“But what came out was it was a wakeup call for the Church. Our priests and other Church leaders are not perfect (themselves),” Sueno said.
Sueno also said the President was making bold statements because he was just “passionate” about ending the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country. SFM