President Rodrigo Duterte assured Philippine soldiers that no matter how many criminals they kill while performing their duties, he will use his power to pardon them and even reward them with a promotion.
“For as long as there is the power to pardon sa Constitution, ‘yan ang weapon ko against crime. Mag-massacre kayo ng isang daan, isang daan din kayo, eh di pardon lahat kayo – to restore to full political and civil rights plus a promotion to boot,” Duterte said.
He made the statement before the soldiers of the 10th Infantry Division in a military camp in Mawab, Compostela Valley.
He added that as long as he remains president, no law enforcer will face legal persecution while performing their duties.
“Itaga ninyo ito sa puso ninyo: 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,” Duterte said.
Duterte also made another threat to criminals by telling soldiers to kill them, regardless of whether they pull out a gun or not. His previous threat was to shoot criminals if they resist arrest, putting law enforcers at risk.
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“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.
Later on, Duterte said that he will not give the soldiers illegal orders.
“Hindi ako mag-order ng illegal. ‘Wag kayong maniwala diyan. 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,” he said.
Duterte’s controversial remarks and threats against criminals and the death of more than 3,000 suspected drug personalities have raised concern among local and international human rights groups and global organizations, such as the United Nations and European Parliament.
Even during the campaign season, Duterte has been quite vocal about handing out pardons to police and military officers charged for the suspects that they might kill in the line of duty.
Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella explained that Duterte’s conflicting pronouncements in front of law enforcers meant that the President’s messages are “layered.” He also said that Duterte’s threats were merely verbal, adding that “there is no written order” that states such threats. He clarified that the police and military can only shoot in self-defense.
Malacañang has earlier clarified that extrajudicial killings are not sanctioned by the administration.
Sources: (rappler.com, mb.com.ph)
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