Duterte: War on Drugs ‘Trivialised’ by Human Rights Concerns
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has promised an unrelenting war on drugs, defying critics who he says are “trivialising” his campaign with human rights concerns and unjustly blaming the authorities for the bloodshed.
Mr Duterte wasted little time in his annual state of the nation address to defend a crackdown that has killed thousands of Filipinos. He said though he valued human life, he needed to tackle “beasts and vultures” that were preying on helpless people and stopping foreign investment from pouring in.
“I do not intend to loosen the leash in the campaign or lose the fight against illegal drugs, neither do I intend to preside over the destruction of the Filipino youth by being timid and tentative in my decisions in office.”
The crackdown on drugs is the signature campaign that has defined Mr Duterte’s presidency and caused an international outcry, with rights groups condemning his administration for a campaign that has overwhelmingly targeted drug users from poor communities, and left narcotics kingpins untouched. Critics say Mr Duterte has turned a blind eye to thousands of deaths during Police operations that bear all the hallmarks of executions. Police say they have shot dead suspects only in self defence and deny involvement in a spree of killings of drug users by mysterious vigilantes.
Mr Duterte said critics were wrongly blaming police for most of the deaths and “trivialising” his campaign by talking about the need for due process and to protect human rights.
He said his detractors at home and abroad should help him instead. Mr Duterte admits mistakes in dealing with IS-inspired rebels
His annual address lasted nearly two hours, during which he frequently deviated from a prepared speech that was eventually reduced to brief talking points. Mr Duterte also said he was prepared to “wait it out” before retaking Mindanao’s Marawi City from Islamic State-inspired rebels, because he was concerned hostages might be killed. He acknowledged there had been intelligence failures and mistakes in assessing the initial threat.
He told reporters he would add 35,000-40,000 new troops over the next two years and buy planes and high-altitude drones to “build an armed forces that can fight all fronts, everywhere”.
Some 7000 protesters from numerous groups gathered outside the venue to demonstrate against Mr Duterte.