BY GENALYN KABILING
Human rights groups should avoid tinkering with country’s drug problem and threatening the government with investigation and imprisonment over its anti-drug operations “out of bigotry,” President Duterte said Monday night.
According to President, rights groups could instead help convince drug offenders to stop using the illegal substance for their own health or they could look for another advocacy.
“Human rights, you better look for another fight. Iyang mga genocide talaga iyong… Alam ninyo kung anong countries (like genocide. You know which countries). But do not tinker with the drug problem in the Philippines. This is mine and mine alone,” Duterte said during a televised address Monday.
Duterte admitted that the illegal drug trade remained a problem in the country, citing the involvement of foreign drug cartels. Around 200 to 300 drug suspects are arrested daily which Duterte claimed showed how “pernicious” the problem is in the country.
“Convince these people nasa listahan to stop kasi sabihin mo maghinto kayo kay baka mamatay kayo (Convince these people in the list to stop. Tell them, stop otherwise you might die). That is the proper way of doing things,” Duterte told rights groups, referring to the country’s drug situation report.
“Instead of going after us, who are enforcing the law, do not threaten us with imprisonment and investigation because you are trying to pin down an individual maybe out of bigotry. Pero kami, we are here, we were trying to save a nation,” he said.
Duterte explained that the illegal drug problem has been raised by the government as a “national security matter.” He said this was the reason the military has been mobilized to help the police force in fighting elements involved in the narcotics trade.
The President also reminded the military and the police to “follow the law” while performing their duty. He said the only time they are allowed to kill is “when your life is in danger.”
But Duterte told the government forces not to afraid of the threats from rights groups, assuring them he will continue to support them.
