Duterte dares the CIA to ‘oust’ him

Brands critics of crime war as ‘animals’

DAVAO:

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday dared the United States’ CIA spy agency to try and oust him, as he branded Western critics of his deadly crime war “animals” and vowed many more killings. In two fiery speeches to mark his 100 days in office, Duterte repeatedly raised the prospect of local or foreign opponents seeking to remove him from power in an effort to stop the violence. But he insisted he would not be intimidated and that his campaign against drugs, in which an average of more than 33 people a day are being killed, would not end.

“You want to oust me? You want to use the CIA? Go ahead,” Duterte said in a speech in his southern home town of Davao city, referring to the Central Intelligence Agency, while railing against US President Barack Obama and other critics. Last month Duterte accused the CIA of plotting to kill him, but gave no specifics.

Also yesterday he referred to a local newspaper columnist who warned a “People Power” movement could form to try and topple Duterte, using the term coined for the revolution that overthrew dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. “Be my guest. I don’t give a shit,” he said. “I’ll be ousted? Fine. (If so) it’s part of my destiny. Destiny carries so many things. If I die, that’s part of my destiny. Presidents get assassinated.”

Duterte was elected in a landslide this year mainly on a pledge to eradicate illegal drugs in society by killing tens of thousands of people. Since taking office on June 30, police have killed 1,523 people and 1,838 others have died in unexplained circumstances, according to official figures. A poll released this week showed Filipinos overwhelmingly approved of Duterte’s first 100 days as president. But rights groups have warned extrajudicial killings are out of control, with shadowy assassins murdering drug addicts, traffickers, petty criminals and opponents of powerful figures.

Duterte insists police are only killing in self-defense and the unexplained deaths are mainly due to drug gangs suddenly fighting each other. Duterte fuelled international concerns last week when he said he was “happy to slaughter” three million drug addicts, as he likened his campaign to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s efforts to exterminate Jews. He later apologized for the Hitler reference, but said he was “emphatic” about wanting to kill millions of addicts.

Yesterday, Duterte again promised there would be no let-up. “The drug campaign will not end. It will result in so many deaths and I do not apologize for it,” he said in Davao. In a barrage of separate tirades against his Western critics, Duterte told them not to think they were smarter than him and he would be prepared with many counter questions if they interrogated him. “If they are unable to answer, son of a whore, go home, you animal. I will kick you now. Do not piss me off. It cannot be that they are brighter than me, believe me,” he said.

Market blast suspects caught

Meanwhile, Philippine troops have captured three suspects in the bombing of a night market that killed 15 people and seized a cellphone video of the blast from them that they apparently took for propaganda purposes, the defense chief said yesterday. The Sept 2 blast wounded 69 other people in President Rodrigo Duterte’s hometown of southern Davao city and prompted him to declare a “state of lawlessness” that empowered the government to use the military in countering terror threats in urban areas.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the suspects are members of Maute, a small and relatively new Muslim militant group based in southern Lanao del Sur province that has wanted to align itself with the Islamic State movement. Philippine forces launched an offensive against Maute earlier this year. Military officials identified the three as TJ Tagada Macababang, Wendel Apostol Facturan and Musali Mustapha. They said the suspects were arrested Tuesday after they tried to evade law enforcers at a checkpoint while riding on a motorcycle without a license plate in southern Cotabato city.

Troops seized bomb-making materials, a submachine gun and a pistol from them, they said. “The operation recovered solid pieces of evidence showing that they are indeed the terrorists who bombed Davao City market,” Lorenzana said. The three suspects were presented at a news conference but not allowed to speak. Lorenzana said seven other militants were allegedly also involved in the Davao city blast and are still being hunted.

The cellphone video, which was shown at the news conference, showed the night market scene, followed by a huge flash of light as the bomb went off, yells of “Allahu akbar,” or “God is great,” and then chaos as the victims screamed and yelled for help. Lorenzana said one of the three suspects planted the bomb at a massage area beside food stalls, while another called a cellphone attached to the bomb to set it off and the third took the video. — Agencies