The President emphasizes his order to police to only shoot criminals if they resist arrest or endanger the lives of authorities
'FOLLOW THE RULES.' President Rodrigo Duterte arrives at the Police Regional Office-10 Headquarters at Cagayan de Oro City on September 22, 2016. Photo by TOTO LOZANO/PPD
MANILA, Philippines – Faced with a barrage of criticism for his administration's supposed support for extrajudicial killings, President Rodrigo Duterte took an extra step to prove he promotes due process in his drug war: he gave a lecture on rules of engagement.
In the last part of his September 23 speech in front of police, Duterte walked away from his podium, turned his back on his audience, and used the wall to demonstrate the proper rules of engagement when arresting criminals.
He seemed to be recalling his days as a lecturer on criminal law in Davao City. Duterte, a lawyer, has said he had started teaching to augment his salary as a prosecutor.
His lecture, covered live by national media, focused on identifying situations in which police are allowed to use deadly force.
Duterte said police can be held liable for deaths if they killed outside the performance of their duty or with malice. But in times when police have to defend themselves from violent resistance, the rules of engagement allow them to shoot.
"If they refuse to surrender, and fight back, and they present a violent resistance, and if you think that life, your life as an arresting officer, is in danger, shoot them dead. Period. That is the order until now," said Duterte.
Duterte advised police to “just remember the guidelines,” including the rule that any “overt” action by criminals ordered to surrender is a go-signal for them to shoot.
“Pagsabi taas ang kamay, tapos magbaba ang kamay mo, kung saang bulsa, maski na kamot ka ng itlog mo kay makati, ah putang ina, patay ka,” said the President.
(When you’re ordered to raise your hands in surrender, but you put down your hands in your pocket, even if you just wanted to scratch your itchy balls, son of a bitch, you’re dead.)
'Silencing stage'
His lecture was preceded by a tirade against his critics, including the United Nations and the European Parliament, for supposedly assuming extrajudicial killings are government-sanctioned.
"‘Di pa nga nila alam kung sino'ng nagpapatayan (They don't even know who is killing whom), why do [they] attribute all the killings in Manila to the police and me when as a matter of fact, [they] know that there were gangsters, including police generals?" said an outraged Duterte.
The President said it would be "stupid" to think law enforcers would take the time to write labels on their victims or wrap them in tape, something vigilantes have been known to do.
He stuck to his previous line that criminals, not law enforcers, are behind the killings. These criminals are likely motivated by the need to silence their cohorts given the government's aggressive crackdown on their operations, Duterte claimed.
"Did it ever occur to you that there was also a silencing stage for them? Mostly sila-sila lang, pero ang patay, 'tinatapon nila kay Bato, sa akin, sa pulis," said Duterte. (They're killing among themselves, but all the dead are blamed on Bato, me, the police.)
He was referring to Philippine National Police chief Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, the second most visible figure at the helm of the drug war, apart from the President himself.
In previous speeches, Duterte emphasized his condition to police that they only kill when criminals pose a threat to their lives or resist violently.
But there are also instances when Duterte leaves out this condition and focuses on his message to kill criminals. In one speech, the President even said he would award with a promotion those who "massacre" criminals.
Dela Rosa himself encouraged people to burn down the houses of drug lords. He later on apologized for this statement.
SOURCE: RAPPLER
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