 |
| President Duterte speaks to troops of the 10th Infantry Division in Mawab, Compostela Valley. |
Duterte to troops: Massacre
criminals, I’ll promote you
In
the same speech, Duterte tells soldiers he will never order them to do anything
illegal
MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte
reminded Philippine soldiers that no matter how many criminals they kill in the
line of duty, he will pardon them and even give them a promotion.
“For as long as there is the power to pardon sa
Constitution, ‘yan ang weapon ko (that’s my weapon)
against crime. Mag-massacre kayo ng isang daan, isang daan din kayo, eh di pardon
lahat kayo (Massacre
100 people, I’ll pardon all of you) – restore to full political and civil rights
plus a promotion to boot,” said Duterte on Tuesday, September 20.
He was speaking to soldiers of the 10th
Infantry Division in a military camp in Mawab, Compostela Valley.
“Itaga ninyo ito sa puso ninyo (Carve this into your
hearts): For as long as I am the president, nobody but nobody – no military man
or policeman will go to prison because they performed their duties,” he
emphasized.
Duterte instructed soldiers to kill criminals
whether or not they pull out a gun. Previously, he had said to shoot criminals
only if they violently resist arrest.
“Pagka bumunot, patayin mo. Pag hindi bumunot, patayin mo rin putang
ina para matapos na. Eh kaysa mawala pa ‘yung baril. Ako na ang bahala sa inyo,” he said.
(If they pull out a gun, kill them. If they
don’t, kill them, son of a whore so it’s over, lest you lose the gun. I’ll take
care of you.)
No 'illegal' orders
But Duterte later on said he would never order
the military to do something illegal.
“Hindi ako mag-order ng illegal. ‘Wag kayong maniwala diyan. (I won’t order anything
illegal. Don’t believe that.) I did not order you and the police to perform
punitive police action. I have declared war against the drug syndicates in this
country. You know what is war. War is war,” said the President.
Duterte’s colorful threats against criminals
have led critics, including international bodies like the United Nations and the European Parliament, to raise concern over
what the Philippine government's policy is when it comes to extrajudicial
killings.
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| Soldiers listen to President Duterte deliver his speech on September 20, 2016. |
As early as the 2016 campaign season, Duterte
had already said he would pardon military and police officers if they are
charged for deaths that occur as they perform their duty.
Asked to comment on Duterte’s conflicting
messages to soldiers and police, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said on
September 15 that Duterte’s messages are “layered.”
He also said that despite Duterte’s verbal
threats, “There is no written order that states that. What is stated is that
they can shoot in order to protect themselves.”
The Palace has clarified that extrajudicial
killings are not sanctioned by the Duterte
administration.
Duterte’s war on drugs has killed at least 3,295 people since July 1, a day
after he took office. Of this number, 1,167 have been killed in legitimate
police operations as of September 20.
Meanwhile, 2,128 have been slain in
extrajudicial or vigilante-style killings as of September 18. – Rappler.com
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http://www.rappler.com/nation/146890-duterte-troops-massacre-promotion?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rappler+%28Rappler%29
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