President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his exasperation against his critics on his war against drugs that resulted to the deaths many of the victims whom others described as fingerlings and slammed them for their continued criticism. Since Duterte’s war against drugs was launch via “Operation Tokhang”, it has left more than 4,000 drug suspects dead, and many criticized him for having big time drug pushers like his close friend Peter Lim who was identified as supplier by another drug dealer.
Duterte who meet with the Filipino community in Papua New Guinea lamented that he should not be bound by human rights if he were a monster. Visibly irked the President said, “They say Duterte… is not human. He is a monster. Then I am not bound by human rights. Look for a court where you can try monsters,”
In his reaction to the guilty verdict of the International Criminal Court that was looking into the alleged extrajudicial killings tied to his drug war, he said that he does not recognize the ICC.
He called them fools and even asked who are their judges? And even questioned the selection process of ICC judges whom he accused as pedophiles.
“Why would I allow myself to be tried by a few idiot human beings in this world?” he added. Then profanity followed and he even said that for human rights advocates to go to hell.
The President pointed out that he has threatened mayors against getting involved in illegal drugs and noted that some mayors, who were previously accused of protecting drug syndicates, have been killed. He also warned former Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog that he would be next. He even cited the deaths of former Tanauan City Mayor Antonio Halili, who was shot dead during a flag ceremony in July and former Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Espinosa, who was killed while in prison in November 2016. Duterte emphasized that his war against drug is aimed to save the future generation.
Meanwhile, the media office director of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said Duterte’s attacks against the Catholic Church are an indication that many people are still not aware of what the Church is doing.
Very Reverend Monsignor Pedro Quitorio III, Assistant Director of CBCP News said, “I don’t entirely blame the President (for this anti-Church comments) because he is just one of the millions of Filipinos who don’t know what the Church does. Needless to say, these attacks, are “actually a much-needed reality check'” he added.
“I’m happy about the President’s comments. It gives me the real score. We are doing so much in the Church but the people don’t know,” said Quitorio.
He further explained that many people, for example, do not know what happens to the collections during masses or that the Catholic Church built 30,000 houses for Typhoon Yolanda survivors. “Who would know that that is what we do? I should know, because I’m from (a) ‘Yolanda’ area, I’m from Region 8. How many (houses) did the government (build)?” he added.
In closing. Quitorio, people don’t know that the Catholic Church is one of the largest charity agencies in the world because, by nature, it does not self promote. “Nobody knows, nobody posts,” he added.
Meanwhile Stop Corruption Philippines, a non-partisan, non-political social media group composed of doctors, educators, businessmen, youth, priests, pastors, religious leaders, Filipino immigrants across the world and other sectoral leaders has expressed deep concern from the unabated drugs slipped in the country.
In their statement, “The Stop Corruption Philippines is alarmed that back in the time of former Presidents Ramos, Estrada, Arroyo and Aquino, there were millions of drugs that were attempted to be slipped in the country, but all of them were intercepted and destroyed. But in the midst of aggressive campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte against drugs, billions of pesos worth of shabu have been attempted to be slipped into the country and unfortunately, almost 12B worth of shabu was missing and apparently now out in the market.”
“While we believe in the sincerity of the President in his campaign against war on drugs to save the future generation, we are yet to see big fish being jailed,” the watchdog group said.
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