(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte vowed he would not be deterred in his campaign to fight the drug menace, even in the face of complaints of human rights violations being hurled against his police force.
In his speech during the 115th anniversary of the Police Service, the President said he is supporting the police force in their fight to suppress the drug menace since this was what he had promised even during his campaign.
“Once in a while, we hear a lot of ranting about human rights in my campaign against drugs. Let me be frank with you this afternoon. The fight against drugs will continue and will be unrelenting until we destroy the apparatus operating in the entire country,” the President said.
“A lot of senators are complaining about the death rate in the fight against drugs. You know it is very easy to complain. I myself who ordered the campaign against drugs take full and sole responsibility for this,” he said.
-Willing to submit to an investigation–
The President said “for those who are killed in a police operation, in a firefight, we are willing to submit ourselves to an investigation before anybody.”
But he said that “for those who are killed by the drug syndicates, we can only investigate.”
“Do not attribute the acts of other criminals upon my government,” he said.
The President also questioned why the United Nations would be so easily swayed as to make pronouncements that it would also probe the extrajudicial killings, thus “interfering in the affairs of this country.”
Even so, he said his government would be willing to answer all these allegations.
“We will be transparent,” he said.
But he has one request to any foreign body that will look into this matter.
“Do not investigate us as if we are criminals. No, no. Do not do that,” he said.
-“Immoral” lady senator
During his speech, he also expressed his irritation at a lady senator, who kept on “yakking” about the issue, and whom he called “immoral” for having an adulterous affair with her driver.
“Here is a woman who funded the house of her lover and yet we do not say any complaint about it. Those money came readily from drugs. The intercept between Muntinlupa and the driver were far beyond, making sure that somebody was involved,” he added.
”But in fairness, I would never state here that the driver gave the money to her. But by the looks of it, she has it.”
In his speech, the President did not mention the name of the senator, but he said this senator once led an investigation against him for his alleged role in vigilante killings in Davao City. Duterte had served as Davao City mayor for more than 20 years.
“I have the CD when she first investigated me in Davao for human rights violation. Before the press, entering the hotel lobby, she said ‘I will prove that Duterte is connected with the DDS,” the President said. DDS is for the infamous Davao Death Squad.
–De Lima cries foul–
Later in the day, Senator Leila de Lima, who felt alluded to by the President in his speech, cried foul and complained that what the President did was “character assassination.”
De Lima, once served as human rights commissioner during the Arroyo administration and justice secretary during the Aquino administration
“Pareho naman kaming professional ng pangulo. Pareho rin kaming public servants. So sana hindi na ho siya nag-reresort sa ganyan na mga foul means. (We are both professionals. We are both public servants. So he should not have resorted to such foul means),” De Lima later told reporters at the Senate.
Reminder to police force: Do not kill if you if your life is not in danger
The President said he would not stop in fighting the drug menace because it was destroying the next generation.
He then addressed the police force: “I repeat again for everybody’s consumption. Do not kill if you are not in danger of losing your life.”
Reminding the policemen about their duty to effect an arrest to place a criminal under the control of the law, the President said that the policeman’s main job is to enforce the law.
But he said that “if the resistance is violent, thereby placing your life in jeopardy, then shoot, shoot him dead.”
“Can I be more clearer than that?”
Duterte also recalled his promise to the Filipino voters, which he said he would fulfill.
“I will give you a clean government. It will be so. It will be done. I will suppress crime and take control of the drug situation…” he said.
“I have gone out of my way to make the Philippines safe,” he said as he mentioned how he is talking to the Communist Party of the Philippines, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and the Moro National Liberation Front to achieve peace.
He said he would place his honor, his life and even losing the presidency in fulfilling his promise to the Filipino people who voted for him.
“I will not allow anybody to destroy my country. I will not allow anybody to destroy the next generation.”
