Duterte claims Pope as his ally against narcopolitics

MANILA, Philippines – Presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte on Sunday found Pope Francis a powerful ally in his campaign to fight illegal drugs.

 

Duterte found common ground with Pope Francis after the pontiff took a stand to address narcopolitics in Latin America.

 

“As a Catholic, I am proud that Pope Francis has taken the courage to name the issue and face down narcopolitics," Duterte said in a statement.

 

Pope  Francis is on a six-day Papal visit in Mexico amid drug-related crimes in the country. He will celebrate Mass on Sunday for all the victims of drug war.

 

“The Mexico of violence, the Mexico of corruption, the Mexico of drug trafficking, the Mexico of cartels, is not the Mexico our Mother wants,” the Time Magazine quoted Pope Francis.

 

Duterte said “the Philippines is already going the way of some of the countries the Pope visited, like Mexico where the drug trade has been dictating the outcome of elections and where drug-lord friendly politicians win.”

 

“It angers me. Illegal drug trade is destroying a generation of Filipinos,” Duterte said in his campaign sorties.

 

The presidential aspirant cited that eight of 10 Filipino families have drug-related problems as he witnessed in his drug rehabilitation center in Davao, noting that a drug user addicted for over six months, may have an irreversible case of addiction.

 

Duterte declared his own war against drugs in Davao and disclosed that he is giving orders to shoot and kill drug pushers resisting police arrest.

 

“These drug syndicates are armed and dangerous. I will not allow the lives of our law enforcers to be at the losing end in a shootout,” Duterte said.

 

Duterte reaffirmed his vows to put an end to crime and illegal drug trade within the first six months if elected as president.

 

The tough-talking mayor was earlier hit by Catholics after he cursed at the pontiff during his launch as Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan’s standard bearer when he recounted the traffic he experienced during the papal visit. He has since then apologized to bishops and was reported to go to Rome, Italy to personally apologize to the Pope but later on postponed the plan to not be accused of using the issue as political gimmick.

 

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