Duterte won’t mind being compared to Idi Amin

MANILA, Philippines - Unfazed by the public outcry over drug-related killings and arrests barely three weeks into his term, President Duterte said he doesn’t mind having more drug offenders killed even if it would mean his being likened to the late Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.

Speaking at a fellowship dinner over the weekend with his batchmates at the San Beda College of Law, Duterte reiterated that he would not change his leadership style, which he said had been effective in Mindanao. Duterte was Davao City mayor for two decades.

Around 72,000 drug dependents have surrendered to authorities so far since he assumed office on June 30.

“Wala akong pakialam. Ang paradigm ko hindi dito sa Maynila. Sa Mindanao, patayan kaagad. O ‘yung mga nalaman ko. Bakit ko papalitan? (I don’t care. My paradigm is not here in Manila. In Mindanao, killings happen fast. That’s what I’ve learned. Why change it?) It is serving the country,” he said.

“I know that it would put me maybe… I will retire with the reputation of Idi Amin,” he said.

But unlike Idi Amin who killed to keep himself in power or out of plain brutality, Duterte said he would only be tough on hardened criminals, especially drug pushers and dealers.

Idi Amin brutally ruled Uganda for eight years until he was deposed and forced into exile in 1979.

At the start of his administration, Duterte openly advocated the killing of drug suspects. But he clarified law enforcers can only kill drug offenders if the latter resist arrest or fight back.

He said he felt insulted upon realizing that some drug lords had managed to continue their illegal trade while serving time at the New Bilibid Prison.

“So what do you make about these guys cooking (drugs) inside? I said there would be a reckoning,” said the 71-year-old President.

The Chief Executive said shabu could be considered worse than cocaine or heroin in terms of its effect on the brain. He said shabu production involves lethal chemicals, including those used for car batteries.