Palace: President was not serious when he made the statement’
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, September 27 said that the “only sin” he has committed in his two years in power is ordering extrajudicial killings (EJKs).
“What are your sins? Me? I told the military ‘what are my sins?’ Did I steal money? Even just one peso? Did I prosecute somebody I sent to jail? Ang kasalanan ko lang yung mga extrajudicial killing (My only sin is extrajudicial killings),” Duterte admitted.
The tough-talking leader revealed his transgression before the new career executive service officers in Malacañang during their oath taking. He justified that killing criminals without a fair trial is necessary due to the rampant drug abuse in the country.
“There are things that I have to do because I have to do it. Who will do it? You know, the police them, they said, before you Duterte, there was really no killing, no extrajudicial (killings). Look what happened,” Duterte said.
He noted that a lot of the drug users and pushers came clean and surrendered when he became president out of fear for their lives. For the president, that deemed as an effective approach.
“When I became president, I insisted in opening the records. Many thousands — hundreds of thousands came out. They are thin, all of them are thin, you saw them on TV,” he added.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) reported that the war on drugs has killed 4,854 drug suspects. However, human rights groups claimed that the death toll is more than 12,000 as reported by The Manila Times.
‘President was just being playful’
In defending the president, Malacañang used the oft-repeated explanation that Duterte was not serious when he made the statement.
“Well, alam mo naman si presidente, ano. Hindi na naman iyan seryoso ‘no. Sinasabi lang niya iyan, kasi nga palaging sinasabi iyan ang ginagawa niya ano (You know the president. He wasn’t serious. He was just saying that because that’s what [critics] always say he does, no?),” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said in a radio interview Friday, September 28.
Roque noted that Duterte was only “being himself, being playful” and “highlighting the point that he is not corrupt.”
“I don’t think na ang konteksto niyan ay literal (I don’t think the context of that is literal),” he said.
Chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo said the president meant that the only issue against him was the spate of extrajudicial killings under his leadership.
Duterte claps back at EJK critics
The president then criticized International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda for their investigation on the bloody war on drugs.
“Eh ‘yang extrajudicial killing naman, itong mga ulol, lalo na ‘yung, itim na sino ‘yun, sabi ko, ‘wag ka, ihampas ko sa ulo mo ‘yung prosecutor na ‘yan (That extrajudicial killing, these fools, especially the black person, whoever, I’ll hit the head of that prosecutor),” Duterte said.
He reiterated that the international court will not have jurisdiction over him, “not in a million years.”
“Why would we be answering? Why, who are they? And who are you to interfere in the way I would run my country? You know very well that we are being swallowed by drugs,” he added.
Duterte also attacked Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan for his criticism against the said extrajudicial killings. He assured the Liberal party leader that he won’t win in the elections.
“Ito naman si pontifical Pangilinan, akala mo walang kasalanan kung magsalita, siya pa ‘yung presidente ng Liberal. Tingnan mo pati siya hindi manalo ‘yan (This pontifical Pangilinan, you, you think he has no sins from the way he speaks, and he’s the president of the Liberal Party. You’ll see, he won’t win),” said Duterte.
In February, Palace spokesperson Harry Roque, Jr. announced that the administration is willing to be interrogated should there be an investigation by the United Nations into the alleged drug-related killings.
However, Duterte in a speech ordered uniformed personnel to keep their mouth shut when being asked by those who might investigate.
“I have announced before that I have your back. When it comes to human rights or any rapporteur inviting you, do not answer. Do not bother,” Duterte ordered. (With reports from Inquirer.net)
