‘Dirty Harry’ talks tough on militancy
MANILA: The Philippines faces a growing risk of a Paris-style attack by foreign militants, the top contender to win elections next year has warned, but there is no threat of “World War III” with China over a bitter South China Sea territorial dispute.
Rodrigo Duterte, a tough-talking mayor of Davao City in the insurgency-plagued south, has built a reputation for fighting crime. He said two new army divisions would be formed to tackle security threats if he replaces President Benigno Aquino in the election in May.
His views run contrary to Mr Aquino’s government, which sees no links between Islamic State militants and five Islamist groups in the southern Philippines — even though police have said the groups had pledged allegiance to extremists in Syria and Iraq.
“I said terrorism will grow and grow and grow and it would be a national threat in the coming days, maybe earlier than later,” Mr Duterte said in an interview.
Known as “The Punisher” or “Dirty Harry” for his hardline stance on crime — he has even claimed to have killed petty criminals in Davao City — Mr Duterte said the new army units would not be used against Maoist guerrillas or Muslim rebels.
“I will not allow the government to wage war against its own people.” Mr Duterte says enhanced security is the only way to build a stable economy.
“It is not for the faint-hearted,” he said. “If you are a president and you are afraid of criminals, or you are afraid to kill criminals, then you have no business being a president.”
Mr Duterte’s opponents have been silent on his uncompromising approach to crime but human rights groups, including Amnesty International, are alarmed.
“No one can take the law into their own hands,” said Chito Gascon, head of the government’s human rights commission.
Muslim separatists have fought the security forces for 45 years on Mindanao island, of which Davao is the largest city. Mr Duterte, a seven-term mayor, acknowledges the risk of the conflict growing or being exploited by external forces.
“If you are from Mindanao, there are explosions here and there and if that happens nationwide, I will not be caught with my pants down,” said Mr Duterte.
“I will use the military and police ... because I have to keep our country safe, secure, peaceful.” The message has struck a chord with voters.
A Social Weather Stations opinion poll published this month showed Mr Duterte was the top-rated contender for 38% of 1,200 respondents, more than twice the number who supported Mr Aquino’s anointed successor, f ormer interior minister Manuel Roxas.
Mr Duterte also said he was open to bilateral talks with China to settle their hotly disputed claims in the South China Sea, another move contrary to existing government policy.