MANILA, Philippines - For the first time, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has spoken out against President Duterte’s approach to fighting crime, saying his directive to kill criminals is “not acceptable” under any circumstance.
“The directive to kill people under any situation, irrespective of the context, to me, that’s not acceptable,” Morales said in a television interview with Japan’s NHK World aired Thursday night.
Morales also said Duterte is “goading people to kill people” with his repeated statements that policemen and even ordinary citizens have his blessing to arm themselves and kill criminals who resist arrest and who put people’s lives in danger.
“That’s a problem. His communications people say ‘that’s hyperbole’…You know, they try to rationalize whatever he says. So, whether or not the police or whoever he addresses these words believe him, that’s a different story,” she added.
Malacañang defended Duterte from Morales’ criticism.
It was the same defense the Palace has repeatedly used to explain Duterte’s controversial statements.
“I think she’s really taking it out of context,” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said.
Morales earlier said that she would inhibit from any investigation concerning Duterte and his war on drugs as she and the President are related by marriage.
Morales is aunt-in-law of Duterte’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte-Carpio. Sara’s husband, Mans Carpio, is a son of Morales’ brother Lucas Carpio Jr. and Court of Appeals Justice Agnes Reyes-Carpio.
Morales, a retired Supreme Court associate justice, was appointed by former president Benigno Aquino III in 2011. Her seven-year term as ombudsman is set to end in July 2018.
For about a year since Duterte took office, Morales had been mum on the rising number of summary killings believed to be connected with the administration’s war on drugs.
Morales’ statement on Thursday was a departure from her earlier position that there was nothing wrong with Duterte’s threatening to kill criminals, unless he made good such threat.
Just last Wednesday at the anniversary celebration of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Duterte reiterated his directive to security forces to shoot criminals who resist arrest.
The President even said – possibly in jest – that criminals not resisting arrest should be made to fight back so they could be killed.
Duterte also boasted that he is the only president bold enough to order the killing of “those sons of bitches.” He was referring to criminals, especially drug offenders.
This time, the Office of the Ombudsman said it would consolidate various complaints on drug-related summary killings before conducting a fact-finding investigation.
Morales said a fact-finding investigation could have a bearing on the drug-related complaints against Sen. Leila De Lima still pending with the Office of the Ombudsman.
De Lima, a staunch critic of Duterte, has been detained since February for her alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison.
“In our case, there had been some complaints which have a bearing on extra judicial killings, which have a bearing on drugs, especially the complaints against the detained senator. So we try to consolidate all these complaints and conduct a fact finding investigation,” Morales said. – With Christina Mendez