By: Genalyn D. Kabiling
Seething with anger, President Duterte is mulling some drastic measures against human rights advocates, including ordering the police to shoot those “obstructing justice.”
The President has also threatened to place human rights groups under investigation for “conspiracy” following their criticisms of his drug war.
“Sabihin mo ‘Pulis, barilin mo na ‘yang kasali diyan’. If they are obstructing justice, you shoot them para makita talaga kung anong klaseng human right,” Duterte said during the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption gathering in Malacañang last Wednesday.
“Galit ako sa inyo because hindi niyo tinitimpla kung anong klaseng papasukan ninyo,” the tough-talking leader said.
The President complained that human rights defenders “make so much noise” and quickly condemn security forces but are silent about the culprits of crimes. “One of these days, kayong human rights, kayo ang imbestigahin ko. Totoo.
Conspiracy,” he said.
To stress his point, the President claimed that human rights groups did raise any complaint when a family, including a helpless one-year-old child, was killed in Bulacan. “‘Yung human rights diyan nasaan?” the President said.
“They could not even utter it in public. ‘Look, do not do that to me,’ says human rights groups. Wala. Tapos itong mga criminal, babandera ka, ‘human rights’,” he added.
The President also took a swipe at Commission on Human Rights chairperson Chito Gascon who has been critical of his drug war, calling him “ulol na mestizo.”
“Mas marunong pa sa iyo and they make so much noise,” he said.
“What about the human rights? Hanggang rekomendasyon lang sila. They can write anything. Condemn the police, condemn everybody, pagdating ng recommendation, wala naman,” he added.
