Duterte unfazed by ICC murder complaint

MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he was willing to face the music for his war on drugs and a complaint filed with the International Criminal Court would not stop him pursuing his bloody campaign.

The former prosecutor said he was man who was true to his word, including wiping out drugs, so he would accept the consequences, even if it meant prison or death.

“I will continue my campaign... I just stood by with my promise, all other politicians they pay lip service to the problem,” he told reporters.

“You want to try to do everything to put me in prison, please go ahead... if it is my destiny to go to jail then I will go to jail, if somebody will kill me for killing the drug people, so be it, I die.”

Thousands of Filipinos have been killed since Duterte unleashed his ferocious campaign nearly 10 months ago.

Police say they have killed only in self-defence, and the deaths of other drug dealers and users was down to vigilantes or narcotics gangs silencing potential witnesses.

Human rights groups say official accounts are implausible and accuse Duterte of supporting a campaign of systematic extra-judicial killings by police. The government denies that. A Philippine lawyer filed a complaint at the ICC on Monday against Duterte and senior officials.