EDITORIAL - An irresponsible thing to say

President Rodrigo Duterte isn’t just angry at vape users. Apparently he is also mad at the one who invented vaping as well.

“Sino ba ang demonyong nag-imbento ng vaping na 'yan? Pinapahanap ko nga. Ipa-extra judicial killing ko 'yan,” Duterte is quoted as saying by The Philippine STAR Facebook page, during the opening of the Taguig City Center for the Elderly the other night.

We should no longer be surprised he said what he did. We should also be surprised if he actually meant what he said.

In fact, it is likely we all know he did not mean it and the statement was said in jest, to make the crowd laugh. From past experience, we also know the president likes to say just about anything to ruffle the feathers of his opponents and see what happens. He likes to watch them squirm.

However, this doesn’t change the fact that he said “Ipa-extra judicial killing ko 'yan.”

The statement, even when said in jest, still carries with it some implication that he can somehow sanction extra-judicial killing. Some insinuation, whether true or not, that he can somehow order state forces to act accordingly to his will and outside the law.

The president is already the target of many rights groups here and abroad owing to the high body count in his war on drugs. Of course, Duterte, being a lawyer, knows something flimsy like this can never stand up in court. It can never be used as evidence against him and he realizes that.

However, an irresponsible statement like this, said even in jest, only adds fuel to the fire and more salt to the wound. This is because the topic of extra-judicial killings still happens to be a very sensitive topic here in the country where thousands are still waiting for justice for their loved ones slain under questionable circumstances in many police operations.

As the head of state and head of government, it would have been more prudent on his part to exercise restraint and not poke at a raw wound that continues to fester and sore.