By Genalyn D. Kabiling
President Duterte is pushing for harsh and extreme measures to ward off terrorists and violent extremists in Southeast Asia.
The President, before departing for India for a special regional summit yesterday, said he would ask foreign allies to craft a platform on how to deal with the terror threat, adding he prefers hardline policy against the enemies.
“We have to come up with a platform of how to deal with terrorism. Ako, I go for a hardline policy. Blow them up in the high seas. Sirain mo. Kanyunin mo,” he said in his speech at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2.
“Otherwise, if we do not the extreme measure, we’d always be at the mercy of criminal,” he added.
The President is scheduled to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-India commemorative summit and India’s Republic Day celebration from Jan. 24 to 27.
At the regional summit, Duterte plans to raise the need for greater regional cooperation in counterterrorism and maritime security especially in the Sulu-Celebes Seas.
“We’re okay sa ASEAN. But it’s all trade and commerce and everything else under the Sun, except but we do not have the platform for terrorism and other problems of law and order,” he said.
“It’s very important that I talk to the ASEAN regarding another platform aside from the trade and commerce and everything that has something to do with the security. It’s getting to be a dangerous world,” he said.
If the regional neighbors won’t support his hardline proposal against terrorism, the President said he already has a standing order to the Armed Forces to destroy the enemy.
