THE United States expressed alarm Friday over President Rodrigo Duterte’s claim that he used to join police operations so that he could personally kill criminals when he was still Davao City mayor.
“Those comments are deeply troubling, and they certainly are at odds with the Philippine government’s stated commitment to due process and rule of law,” said White House Press Secretary John Earnest in a press briefing in Washington D.C.
At a forum on Monday, Duterte said that when he was still mayor of Davao City, he would join local police in operations so that he could “personally kill” criminals to set an example.
“In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys that, if I can do it, why can’t you? And I [would] go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around and I would just patrol the streets… looking for trouble. I really sought out encounters so I could kill,” Duterte said at the Wallace Business Forum in Malacañang.
Although the American government supports Duterte’s war against drugs, Earnest said “basic universal human rights should still be respected.”
“The United States stands with the people of the Philippines as they confront the drug problem that’s having a negative impact on the security situation in the country,” Earnest said.
Earnest said it is still “critically important” that the Philippines should observe and protect the basic universal rights of the Filipinos.
Since Duterte assumed office on July 1, some 5,000 suspected drug pushers and users have been killed in his bloody war on drugs.
“The United States continues to be concerned by the widespread reports of extrajudicial killings by or at the behest of government authorities in the Philippines,” Earnest said.
“The United States strongly supports the idea of a thorough, credible and transparent investigation into these reports,” he added.
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar played down Duterte’s remarks about going out to find criminals to kill, saying this was his way scaring criminals.
“You know very well the President, when he talks, he’s fierce. But not everything should be taken literally. That’s the style of the President, to instill fear in the minds of criminals,” he said.
Vice President Leni Robredo expressed alarm, however, over Duterte’s statement, saying it encouraged a culture of impunity, especially among law enforcers. With John Paolo Bencito, Rio N. Araja