Duterte justifies bloody anti-drug campaign

MANILA, Philippines -- Although the government does not condone summary killings, President Rodrigo Duterte has said that the deaths that have come with his vigorous campaign to solve the country's drug problem are justified.

 

Duterte said his administration is cash-strapped since he assumed office mid-year.

 

With more than 600,000 drug suspects surrendering to the police because of the administration's campaign, Duterte said the magnitude of the problem has gotten out of hand since the government lacks funds and preparations for rehabilitation.

 

“Saan tayo papunta nito ngayon? Where do I get the billions? Ano ang budget ko hanggang diyan lang… Kaya, in the meantime, pinapatay mo nalang. Ay anak ka ng…,” he said Monday evening.

 

He then went on to say he will not hesitate to kill drug suspects to prevent the problem from escalating further. He has repeatedly warned that failing to do so will turn the Philippines a narco-state, or one run by drug lords.

 

“Papatayin talaga kita. Huwag kang -- magprangkahan na tayo, magpatayan talaga tayo dito,” he said during his speech at the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) at the Palace and attended by its members and awardees from the judiciary, media and other sectors of society.

 

Duterte said his heart does not bleed for the families of those killed in the government’s anti-drug operations, even if they say that those who died were forced into drugs to earn a living.

 

He told the audience, which included anti-crime activists, that there would be no justice for those who are on the wrong side of the law.

The 71-year-old Duterte added that those crying for justice cannot invoke fairness.

 

“I cannot simply define justice that is fair to all. Life is never fair. But if you start, you who is the cause of the cause is the cause of them all. Who gave you the right?” Duterte said.

 

“Forget about God. Forget about the laws the laws of men. You think of the one universal equation. Who gave you the right to cook shabu? Sell it to my sons and daughters and make them crazy. Sino?" he said. 

 

“Huwag muna ang Diyos, huwag muna ang batas. Huwag muna yang human rights, huwag muna yang sabi mong mga vigilantes. Who gave you the right to distribute shabu and destroy a community?” Duterte said.

 

Duterte launched a high-profile anti-drug campaign when he assumed office on June 30, and has sicne named some police officials, local executives, judges, prosecutors, and a senator as being allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade.

 

“Well, that’s life. But let us be clear on this,” he said, raising his right hand as if he was taking an oath.  “I am committed by my oath of office. Yung  mga…yung mga victims, they did not start the process that turned out to be bloody. Sila ‘yan. Sila ‘yang nagluto. Sila ‘yang nagpapabili. Alam nila na bawal ‘yan, mahirap ka o mayaman,” Duterte added.

Unfazed by concerns raised by the US and by the United Nations on the need to respect human rights, Duterte maintained his anti-drug campaign sees no difference between the rich and the poor.  The same policy goes out for all, he added.

 

“The world, the world turns every 24 hours in a cycle, and it will never stop to listen to you, of your excuses. Just because mahirap ka lang, ganyan ka lang. Ako, kung hindi ako sa gobyerno, ang anak ko ni-rape ang babae, lulong ka sa droga, bubuhayin kaya kita?,” he said.

 

A lawyer and a long-term mayor of Davao City, Duterte said he is replicating his campaign in Davao on a nationwide scale. His campaign involved warning all criminals and drug suspects to get out of the city or be killed.

 

“And there was a purge. For those who did not honor the (agreement)… Eh, patayan talaga. But that’s it. Pagka-lumaban ka, any false move, you know, it was not until after the… nauso ‘yung bomba na self-destruct then blowing everybody out to the heavens,” the president said.

 

Duterte said he adheres to the “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” principle of retributive justice.