Duterte slams critics who demonize him, denies ordering narco-pols' murder

PORT MORESBY — President Rodrigo Duterte hit back at critics who demonize him for launching a brutal war on illegal drugs.

Duterte, whose war on drugs has left more than 4,000 drug suspects dead, said he should not be bound by human rights if he were a monster.

"They say Duterte... is not human. He is a monster. Then I am not bound by human rights. Look for a court where you can try monsters," the president said during a meeting with the Filipino community last Friday here.

Duterte reiterated that he does not recognize the International Criminal Court, which is looking into the alleged extrajudicial killings tied to his drug war.

"Mga g***. Sabi ko sino ‘yung mga judges ninyo diyan? Bakit kasama ba kami pagpili nitong mga g*****, p***** i**** puti na ‘yan? Baka ito pedophile. ‘Yan man karamihan sa kanila (Fools. Who are your judges? Why are we involved in their selection of these sons of a b**** whites? Maybe they are pedophiles. Most of them are), the president said.

"Why would I allow myself to be tried by a few idiots human beings in this world?" he added.

Duterte also lambasted groups that accuse him of human rights violations and maintained that his drug crackdown was meant to save the future generation.

"P***** i** ka (You son of a b****), human rights. You go to hell," the president said.

Duterte said he has threatened mayors against getting involved in illegal drugs. He noted that some mayors accused of protecting drug syndicates have been killed and warned former Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog that he would be next.

He cited the deaths of former Tanauan City mayor Antonio Halili, who was shot dead during a flag ceremony in July and former Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, who was killed while in prison in November 2016. 

The president later on denied he was behind the deaths of mayors believed to be involved in narcotics, saying he was just trying to scare the local executives.

"Ako, magsabi man lang ako “patayin kita” pero pantakot man lang ‘yan, istorya man lang ‘yan, maniwala ka pala? (If I say 'I will kill you,' it was just a scare tactic. You believe it?)," he said.

"Kung sino ang nagpatay eh ‘yan mga pulis o tanungin mo, hindi ako (If you want to know who killed them, ask the police not me)."