Duterte condemns brutal killing of Silawan, orders speedy probe

President Duterte on Thursday condemned the murder of 16-year-old Christine Silawan in Cebu over the weekend, dismissing the possibility that a cult was responsible for the brutal act, saying that it was drug-related.

The grade 9 student was found with multiple stab wounds and her face skinned to the bone in a vacant lot in Lapu-Lapu City on Sunday. Despite being found naked from the waist down, local crime laboratory findings said that she was not raped.

In a speech during the proclamation rally of PDP Laban in Isabela, Duterte condemned the act, saying it could not have been done by a cult.

"Maniwala ka diyan kulto-kulto, p***... Binabalatan ang mga mukha ng mga (Do not believe

that it was done by a cult, skinning their faces)... That is..." he said Wednesday evening.

"Ito'ng pumatay na ito... yung babae... sabi kasi ng ano, mga pulis kulto-kulto. Sabi ko, 'Hanapin ninyo 'yan. Yung binalatan yung ano, sabi ko drugs ['yan] (I ordered the police to hunt them down, the ones who peeled off the girl's face. They said it was done by a cult. No, I said it is drugs)," he added.

Drug-related

In his press briefing Thursday, Presidential Spokesman said President Duterte has also ordered for the police to not dillydally and immediately get to the bottom of the case.

Panelo also echoed President Duterte's remark that it could not have been done by a cult.

"May directive na siya to investigate. Tingin namin baka drug addict 'yun (There's already a directive to investigate. We think the perpetrator was a drug addict)," Panelo said.

"Meron ba namang gumagawa ng ganoon? Biruin mo babalatan 'yung mukha? My goodness (Is there someone who does that kind of thing? Imagine, peeling off a face? My goodness)," he added.

The President also condemned different rape cases where the victims were minors.

"Sa aming panahon, may nire-rape (There were also rape cases during our time). That's a crime that goes with humanity. Biology 'yan eh. Pero yung mga magaganda (That's biology. But the ones raped were the beautiful women)... Pero ngayon kita mo naman bata, ni-rape (But now even kids are being raped)," Duterte said.

Duterte then asked human rights advocates to look into the matter more deeply in order for them to realize why he abhors the act, especially since some are committed by drug addicts.

"Mga human rights baka 'di niyo alam, try to dig into the case and you'd find my revulsion sa ganoon (To the human rights advocates, maybe you just don't know. Try to dig into the case and you'd find my revulsion to those acts)," he said.

CBCB condemns brutal killing

Meanwhile, an official of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care on Thursday condemned the brutal killing of Silawan.

Rodolfo Diamante, executive secretary of the CBCP ECCPC, said whoever is behind the "dastardly act" should be apprehended, convicted and jailed.

"We condemn these acts and ask our government to apprehend, convict and jail the people behind this dastardly act," he said in an interview.

"It is indeed sad that killings are happening almost everyday," added Diamante.

However, he said reviving death penalty will not solve the killings.

"Death will never be an answer to the killings going on in the country," he added. (With a report from Leslie Ann Aquino)