Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday he had cruised the streets on a motorcycle looking to kill criminals while mayor in his hometown Davao City.
Duterte made the comment at a meeting with business leaders at the Malacanang Palace where he spoke about the government’s crackdown on illegal drugs.
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“I must admit that a third of the killings really happened during police encounters. And I know it because I am not trying to say pull my own chair. But 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 go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around and I would just patrol the streets and looking for trouble also,” he said.
“I was looking for an encounter so I could kill.”
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His justice minister, Vitaliano Aguirre, told local media on Wednesday that Duterte’s comment was just a “hyperbole” and should not be taken literally.
Before becoming president, Duterte has served as mayor of Davao for two decades, in which human rights groups have accused him of being behind the extrajudicial killings in his city.
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Since taking office on June 30, more than 5,000 people have been killed in his drug war. Police say 2,004 have been killed by officers in self-defence, with another 3,060 killings are “under investigation”. Human rights group say those in the latter group were extrajudicial killings.
“If they are, If they say that they are, if I am afraid to stop because of the human rights and guys from, including Obama? Sorry, I am not about to do that. You arrest me, oust me? Go ahead. So, God said that you are mayor but you have given a mission to do something but it’s only up to them. So, fine. Oust me, good. Assassinate me, better. I have this migraine everyday,” Duterte said.
His bloody crackdown on illegal drugs have been criticized by the United States and the United Nations, which Duterte responded with threats and curses.
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