MANILA – President Rodrigo R. Duterte, whose six-year term ends on June 30, has warned drug smugglers that he would always consider them his enemies.
This came after Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año informed him that law enforcement confiscated “shabu” (crystal meth) and marijuana worth at least PHP295.9 million from May 11 to 22.
“Galit talaga ako. ‘Pag ginawa mo ‘yan sa bayan ko, para na ring tinatapos mo ang buhay namin. So gusto kong dapat malaman ‘yan ng mga durugista (I am really mad. If you destroy my country, it is as if you ended our lives. So I want drug lords to know), I will forever remain your enemy. Iyan ang tandaan ninyo (Remember that),” he said in a prerecorded Talk to the People.
He reaffirmed his commitment to continue his anti-drug campaign even as a civilian.
“We can continue this fight even if I am already a civilian. Mahirap itong shabu na ‘to, sabi ko sisirain ang bayan nito (This shabu is a difficult case, it will destroy this nation). They will make the Philippine society dysfunctional,” he added.
According to Duterte, he would rather see drug lords and drug peddlers “dead than alive.”
He also dismissed criticism from human rights groups as “posturing.”
“Itong (These) human rights, they are — all they have to do — all that they can do really is posturing, hanggang diyan lang ‘yan sila (that is all they can do). They cannot help the country,” he said.
The law enforcement agents should be able to kill drug dealers mercilessly, especially if it endangered their lives, Duterte said.
“They should be able to kill the drug lords without mercy. Hayaan mo ‘yang human rights na ‘yan. Hindi makatulong sa bayan natin ‘yan (Ignore the human rights groups. They cannot help the nation),” he added.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands suspended its investigation in November 2021 into the alleged crimes against humanity attributed to Duterte’s drug war to assess “the scope and effect of the deferral request” of the Philippine government.
The ICC’s probe covers the conduct of the drug war under Duterte’s administration, including alleged killings in Davao City between 2011 and 2016 when the President was still the mayor.
Duterte has often asserted that the ICC has no jurisdiction to investigate the drug war since Philippine justice systems are functioning.
On March 17, 2019, or precisely one year after the revocation of the Rome Statute, the Philippines formally cut ties with the ICC.
