President Rodrigo Duterte presides over a Cabinet meeting at the Malacañan Palace on Dec. 14, 2020. | ACE MORANDANTE/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday night expressed willingness to get jailed over his administration’s fatal anti-illegal drugs campaign.
“[Kung] makulong, e di makulong,” Duterte said in a public address, addressing a report of the International Criminal Court (ICC) that found “reasonable basis” to arraign Duterte’s government for crimes against humanity.
Duterte said his crackdown on illegal drugs was for the public’s protection.
“Do not make it hard for the people to survive. I’ve been telling you I intend just to make Philippines a comfortable place. Ginagawa ko na lahat. Nagkakaso-kaso na nga ako diyan sa [ICC],” he said.
The president also slammed ex-senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who said Duterte’s day of reckoning was near: “Maski na mali-mali, anong ginawa nitong animal na ito kung hindi nag-revolt? Pasigaw-sigaw pa tapos mag-surrender lang. Ganoon ka kaduwag p****g ina ka tapos magyabang ka.”
“Trillanes, alam mo ‘pag nakita ko ‘yung pangalan mo, nakikita ko tae ng aso. Every time I look at you, you’re a shit of a dog. Mas marunong ka pa. Bakit mo ako takutin na magpreso? If it is my destiny that mapreso ako, ‘di mapreso ako,” he added.
According to latest data from the government’s anti-illegal drugs monitoring platform #RealNumbersPH, 5,903 people have been killed in anti-drug operations from July 2016 to September 2020.
The ICC report, produced by prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, said there was “reasonable basis to believe” the Duterte government had committed violations in its anti-drug campaign.
“The Office is satisfied that information available provides a reasonable basis to believe that the crimes against humanity of murder, torture and the infliction of serious physical injury and mental harm as other inhumane Acts were committed on the territory of the Philippines between at least 1 July 2016 and 16 March 2019, in connection to the War on Drugs campaign launched throughout the country,” the report read.
Duterte also stressed that he was ready to die standing by his principles.
“Ako, magpakamatay ako sa prinsipyo ko. Kung iyang prinsipyo ko na ‘yan ikamatay ko, okay ‘yan sa akin. Ipakulong ako habangbuhay, okay sa akin ‘yan. Pero ginawa ko ang… Ginagawa ko ang tama,” he said. John Ezekiel J. Hirro