MALACAÑANG on Monday scored claims made by French tabloid Libération calling President Rodrigo Duterte “a serial killer” amid the rise in the number of killing in the war on drugs.
“I think that’s rather unfortunate. And for me, it demonstrates a profound lack of understanding of the Philippine situation,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella reiterated.
Libération, a newspaper in France, published a banner story Saturday about Duterte’s anti-drug campaign that has left over 3,000 people dead.
Written by Arnaud Vaulerin, the four-page article touched on Duterte’s expletive-laced tirades against US President Barack Obama and Pope Francis, his comments referencing the mass murder of Jews under Adolf Hitler’s command and his alleged ties to a hit squad in Davao City.
Abella, however, argued that the true state of the country is not reflected by foreign news reports, but by the public’s confidence in Duterte.
“I think is really unfounded, considering the fact that again and again, we have emphasized the fact that police actions and their campaign against illegal drugs really assumes that certain amount of regularity, that we stay within bounds,” he said.
“Considering the fact that it is a left-leaning paper, I believe they should have been more appreciative of other things that are happening in the Philippines,” Abella added.
Official Philippine National Police data show 1,390 suspects died in anti-drug operations between July 1—a day after President Mr. Duterte took over the country—and Oct. 6, but unofficial media counts that include possible hits by vigilantes and rival drug gangs have hovered closer to 3,000, with PNP Director General Ronald M. dela Rosa telling senators in one recent hearing that the police have had difficulty keeping up with the daily body count.
Duterte completed his first 100 days in office with “very good” public approval, according to the Social Weather Stations survey in late September but continues to be hounded by criticisms on human rights violations, particularly summary killings by the Davao Death Squad and their copycats while he was mayor, and now that he is President.
Duterte has repeatedly said he became the “whipping boy” of human rights groups and the Commission on Human Rights, particularly referring to Senator Leila de Lima who conducted a probe on the spate of summary killings in 2009.