Wednesday, December 14, 2016

RODRIGO DUTERTE VERSUS THE I.C.C


Rodrigo Duterte on solving problem



'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.

‘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.”


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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