MOSCOW, Russia — President Duterte told the international community that he won’t hesitate to kill anyone involved in the illegal drug trade as he revealed that even now there are still two generals playing with drugs.
Duterte made the statement amid reports that there are still police officers in the country who recycle illegal drugs seized in narcotics operations.
During the forum of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Duterte said that two generals, whom he did not name, continue to benefit from the illegal drug trade and they may still be doing it when he returns to the Philippines.
“And right now, even as I fly here and go back. There are about again two generals who are still playing with drugs. And I said, ‘Well, I told you do not destroy my country because it is being flooded with drugs,'” he said.
Duterte then said there was nothing wrong with him threatening to kill anybody who destroys the Philippines.
“This is I would pose to the entire community of the world. Is it wrong for a President to see — to say, rather — that: ‘Do not destroy my country especially the children because I will kill you?’ And that was my order to the Armed Forces and to the police,” he said.
“And we saw mayors, city mayors, and the chairman of the most basic unit of government, 50,000 into drugs. And when I took over, I found out about nine generals were involved in the trafficking of drugs,” he added.
The President also thought that there was nothing wrong if Filipinos are encouraged by his pronouncements to kill drug personalities.
“People say that my pronouncements actually encourage everybody to kill the drug lords and drug addicts. You know, frankly, I would be happy to — if that things happened,” he said.
According to Duterte, he has been fighting many fights since he became president so he had to something about the problem with illegal drugs fast.
“I said I’m not only fighting corruption from the inside of government. I was fighting corrupt — corruption and the trafficking of drugs even in my government. And that is why I had to do something very fast,” he said.
Before leaving for Moscow, Duterte said that he would wait for the Senate to finish its inquiry on the “ninja” cops before he acts on it. He, however, assured that the probe on police officers involved would be fair.
Duterte also reserved judgment on Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Oscar Albayalde who allegedly acquired a sports utility vehicle after his former subordinates in Pampanga figured in an irregular drug buy-bust operation in 2013.
“If it comes to a serious thing as dismissing a top official here and there, it has to be for a good reason and there must be enough proof,” he said.
Baguio City Mayor and former PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Benjamin Magalong alleged that 200 kilos of shabu were seized that time but operatives declared that at least only 30 were confiscated. (Argyll Geducos)