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Rodrigo Duterte on solving problem
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'If you destroy my city with drugs, I will kill you... When was it a crime to say, 'I will kill you,' in protecting my country?'- Rodrigo Duterte, the Strongman of the Philippines
‘Western
court threats are bullsh*t, European lawyers stupid’: Duterte on possible
indictment
Published time: 28 Nov,
2016 16:45Edited time: 29 Nov, 2016 15:19
Controversial
Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte has branded as “bullsh*t” Western threats to
indict him in the International Criminal Court (ICC) over extrajudicial
killings in the country’s war on drugs. He added that European lawyers have
“brains like a pea.”
In
October, ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said the court may have jurisdiction to
prosecute those responsible for killings in the Philippines, adding that her
office was looking for instances of state officials “ordering, requesting,
encouraging or contributing” to crimes against humanity.
During a
speech on Monday, Duterte shared his thoughts on his possible international
prosecution, typically not mincing his words.
“You
scare me that you will jail me? International Criminal Court? Bulls**t,” he said, as cited by Reuters.
According
to the Philippines president, Washington is behind the attempt to put him
behind bars.
“America
itself is threatening to jail me in the International Criminal Court. It is not
a signatory of that body. Why? Because at that time, they were afraid [former
President George W.] Bush would face it," he said.
Unlike
Manila, Washington never signed the Rome Statute and isn’t part of the
Hague-based ICC.
The US
and its allies have no idea how grave the problem with the trade and use of
methamphetamines was in the Philippines, Duterte said. Dealing with the issue
was so important that he was ready to “rot in jail” in order to achieve
his goal, he added.
The
Philippines leader also said he saw nothing wrong with threatening to kill bad
elements of society, especially when it’s done to protect the country.
"I
will never allow my country to be thrown to the dogs. I said when I was a
mayor, 'If you destroy my city with drugs, I will kill you,’” he added.
"Simple
as that... When was it a crime to say, 'I will kill you,' in protecting my
country?" Duterte
said.
According to
Philippines police figures, 2,500 people have been killed since Duterte became
president on June 30 and launched his crackdown on the drugs trade. Around
1,900 people were slain in anti-drug operations by security forces, while the
rest are believed to be victims of vigilantes and fighting between criminal
gangs.
Earlier
in November, Duterte slammed the ICC, calling it useless and hinting that the
Philippines may follow Russia’s example and withdraw from it. Duterte has made
a name for himself thanks to his scathing remarks about the US, which used to
be the Philippines top ally under his predecessor.
Duterte
called outgoing US President Barack Obama “a son of a whore” and told
him to “go to hell” for his perceived attempts to lecture the
Philippines. He announced the cancelation of military exercises between the
Philippines and American forces, but softened his stance shortly afterwards.
However, the Philippines leader welcomed Donald
Trump’s election win, saying there were a lot of similarities between him and
the US president-elect.
INTERNET SOURCE: https://www.rt.com/news/368468-duterte-court-threats-stupid/
‘Go ahead,
withdraw your assistance’: Philippines' Duterte dares US, EU
Published time: 6 Oct, 2016 17:44Edited
time: 6 Oct, 2016 18:32
Philippine
President Rodrigo Duterte declares he will not bow to foreign pressure over his
anti-drug campaign, while Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay declared that the US
“has failed us.”
“I
do not expect the human rights [groups], I do not expect Obama, I do not expect
the EU to understand me,” said
Duterte in a speech on Thursday. “Do not understand
me. And if you think it’s high time for you guys to withdraw your assistance,
go ahead. We will not beg for it.”
Duterte’s
remark was made in response to mounting US and EU criticism of his war on
drugs, which has led to over 3,600 deaths at the hands of police, drug gangs,
and vigilantes, according to the latest figures from the Philippine National
Police (PNP). Certain politicians, such as US Senator Patrick Leahy, suggested
cutting off aid to the Philippines in September, but Duterte maintains that
foreigners simply do not understand the scale of the drug problem in his
country.
“You
will never understand the pain that we are suffering,” he said. “Go away, bring your money
somewhere else. We will survive as a nation. There will always be a day for
reckoning.”
These
latest comments fit in with the rhetoric Duterte has become famous for since
taking office. On Tuesday, he told Barack Obama, whom he has previously called
a “son-of-a-b***h,” to “go to hell,” and the Philippines’
president called for a withdrawal of US troops in September.
Meanwhile,
Duterte’s foreign secretary, Perfecto Yasay, who has at times tried to downplay
his boss’s comments, released a statement on Facebook titled “America has
failed us” in which he says that, while there are many “countless things
that we will be forever grateful to America for,” the US has never fully
respected Philippine independence.
“After
proclaiming in July 4, 1946 that the Filipinos had been adequately trained for
self-determination and governance, the United States held on to invisible
chains that reined us in towards dependency and submission as little brown
brothers not capable of true independence and freedom,” the FM said in the statement.
The
United States “give us the assurance” that it will come to the Philippines’
defense if its sovereignty is threatened, and that is why Duterte has set about
“realigning our independent foreign policy,” the statement added.
However,
this does not necessarily mean that Duterte wants to sever ties with the US, as
Yasay also said that the Philippines will not pursue a military alliance with
any country other than the United States.
“The
President in many occasions has said categorically that he will only have one
military alliance, and our only ally in that respect is the US,” he said before a Senate committee on Thursday.
There
seems to be some differences of opinion within the Duterte administration about
how to interpret the president’s remarks. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana
earlier said that he thought Duterte had been “misinformed” about the
nature of the US-Philippines alliance, while spokesman Ernesto Abella said that
many of the president’s statements are “expressions of frustration” that
should not be taken literally, the Philippine Star reported on Thursday.
American
officials, for their part, have tried to shrug off Duterte’s outbursts. A State
Department official told the LA Times, “we are not going to respond to every
little thing said in Tagalog somewhere in the Philippines.”
INTERNET SOURCE: https://www.rt.com/news/361842-duterte-withdraw-assistance-us/
OTHER LINKS:
PRO DEATH PENALTY QUOTES BY RODRIGO
DUTERTE
PRESIDENT
DUTERTE’S FIRST STATE OF NATION ADDRESS (JULY 25, 2016)
THE PUNISHER OF DAVAO IS OUR HERO!
The Punisher of Davao versus ISIS
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