Philippines president-elect: Public 'can kill' criminals

[Common]

(CNN)Philippines president-elect Rodrigo Duterte effectively said he supports vigilantism in a nationally-televised speech.


Faced with criminals who resist arrest or threaten citizens, the controversial politician suggested that it was fine for citizens to take the law into their own hands.
"If he fights, and he fights to the death, you can kill him," said the former mayor of Davao City, who was elected to the presidency in a decisive victory last month.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/06/asia/duterte-drug-dealers-lethal-force-vigilantism/index.html

[The Sage of Main Street]

(CNN)Philippines president-elect Rodrigo Duterte effectively said he supports vigilantism in a nationally-televised speech.


Faced with criminals who resist arrest or threaten citizens, the controversial politician suggested that it was fine for citizens to take the law into their own hands.
"If he fights, and he fights to the death, you can kill him," said the former mayor of Davao City, who was elected to the presidency in a decisive victory last month.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/06/asia/duterte-drug-dealers-lethal-force-vigilantism/index.html Criminals are subhuman mutations into jungle beasts and have no civil rights. Only the civilized can earn civil rights.

[Mini Me]

Looks like they have elected their own Trump!

Would not surprise me if Trump said the same thing!

[Adelaide]

"... he fights to the death, you can kill him."

If someone is going to kill you, you are generally allowed to use at least reasonable force to defend yourself pretty much everywhere without legal consequences. Sounds to me like that is what is being advocated, not so much vigilantism. I would assume if he was advocating for you to seek out people where you would be putting your life at risk in order to justify killing someone, his statement would be worded differently.

[Beevee]

Criminals are subhuman mutations into jungle beasts and have no civil rights. Only the civilized can earn civil rights.

By becoming uncivilised, presumably.

[AeonPax]

`
`
They need a man like Atticus Finch.

[AZ Jim]

Well, I am sure somehow this is President Obama's fault.

[Beevee]

Well, I am sure somehow this is President Obama's fault.

LOL

You could have that engraved on your tombstone:

Here I lay and I am sure somehow this is President Obama's fault.

[The Sage of Main Street]

By becoming uncivilised, presumably. In dealing with subhuman savages in the mud pit they choose as their arena, we have to become "uncivilized" in order to protect civilization.

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - dat's how to handle dem drug dealers...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/icon_grandma.gif
Duterte names officials he says have drug links
Mon, Aug 08, 2016 - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has led a bloody war on drug suspects, yesterday named more than 30 politicians, officials and judges whom he linked to narcotics and warned them to surrender.


Police and shadowy vigilantes have been blamed for killing more than 800 drug suspects since Duterte’s election on May 9. “Due process has nothing to do with my mouth. There are no proceedings here, no lawyers,” Duterte said in a pre-dawn speech just before he began naming the suspects. He listed seven judges and more than 25 current or former members of the Philippine Congress, mayors and other local officials whom he alleged were involved in illegal drugs. Duterte ordered their security escorts withdrawn and canceled their firearms permits, adding that they would face sanctions. “If you show the slightest violence in the resistance, I will tell the police: ‘Shoot them,’” he told reporters and soldiers in the southern city of Davao.

Duterte, who has gained widespread domestic popularity for his outspokenness, conceded “I might be wrong” about the guilt of those he named. He said the military and police had compiled the list, which he insisted was not colored by politics or personal links, adding that some of those named were even his friends. Duterte’s spokesman, Martin Andanar, later said that criminal cases would be filed against those named. “The president is encouraging all of the persons of interest, the alleged drug lords and drug coddlers to come out in the open, to surrender themselves and submit themselves to thorough investigation,” he told reporters. Some of those named have since come out on radio and TV and denied their guilt.

Duterte won election by vowing to wage a war on illegal drugs and other crime that would claim tens of thousands of lives. He has ordered police not to hesitate to kill and even urged ordinary citizens and communist guerrillas to join in the bloodshed. The country’s largest broadcaster, ABS-CBN, has listed 852 drug suspects killed since Duterte’s election. In his speech, Duterte scoffed at human rights groups opposed to the killings, saying they were free to protest. “I do not care,” he said.

However, the head of the influential Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines made an emotional appeal to the public to denounce the wave of drug killings. “I am a human being. That is all it takes for me to stand up and say: ‘Enough,’” Archbishop Socrates Villegas said in a message read at all Catholic Masses in his archdiocese, 160km north of Manila. He said the largely Catholic Philippines was becoming a “killing fields nation” for tolerating the violence. Despite criticism from foreign and local human rights organizations, as well as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, surveys have shown Duterte enjoys wide public support.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2016/08/08/2003652706

[waltky]

Unfortunately, he's right...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/icon_omg.gif
Philippines President Duterte doesn’t "give a shit," calls Obama "son of a whore" ahead of Laos talks
Tuesday 6th September, 2016 - Infamous Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte shocked the world once again, after calling U.S. President Barack Obama a ‘son of a whore.’


According to reports, Duterte vowed not to be lectured by Obama on human rights, and took issue with warnings that the U.S. president will question him over a crime war that claimed over 2,400 lives in just over two months. Since Duterte took office on June 30, over 2,400 people have been killed in police anti-drug operations and by suspected vigilantes. Duterte was due to hold a bilateral meeting with Obama on the sidelines of an ASEAN summit in Laos, but said, “You must be respectful. Do not just throw away questions and statements. Son of a whore, I will curse you in that forum.” “The Punisher” warned Obama not to ask about the extrajudicial killings as “I am a president of a sovereign state and we have long ceased to be a colony,” or “son of a bitch I will swear at you.”

He vowed that the bloodbath would continue and added, “More people will be killed, plenty will be killed until the last pusher is out of the streets. Until the (last) drug manufacturer is killed, we will continue and I will continue… I don’t give a shit about anybody observing my behaviour.” Many Filipinos are in full support of Duterte’s vitriol; despite his being suspected of having ties to motorcycle-borne killers nicknamed "Davao death squads." Referring to his critics, Duterte continued his tirade, “There are others who have the mental capacity of dogs who lap at the ass of the Americans.” He pointed out that his country had still not received an apology for misdeeds during their U.S. colonisation, and referred to the killings of Muslim Moros more than a century ago during a U.S. pacification campaign in the southern Philippines.


http://cdn.bignewsnetwork.com/cus1473091693.jpg

Obama responded that he had heard of Duterte’s “colourful” remarks, and has instructed his staff to see if the impending meeting would still be “productive.” The spat comes days after an ugly landing at the G20 summit in China, where American and Chinese diplomats got in a shouting match over how Obama should exit his plane, eventually resulting in him becoming the only world leader who was not greeted with a red carpet. This is not the first time Duterte’s statements have shocked the world.

Ever since he assumed power in May this year, over 2,400 people are believed to have been killed as part of the brutal campaign he has unleashed. During the Presidential election campaign, Duterte had promised to eliminate illegal drugs in six months. On winning the elections, he told the crowds, “If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself, as getting their parents to do it would be too painful." The President has given police and vigilantes the power to kill those involved in the drug trade. Duterte has even named politicians, police generals and judges who have been linked to the drug trade.

MORE (http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/247380509/philippines-president-duterte-doesnt-give-a-shit-calls-obama-son-of-a-whore-ahead-of-laos-talks)

See also:

Obama Cancels Meeting with Philippine President After Public Insult
September 05, 2016 - The White House says President Barack Obama has canceled a planned meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, after the blustery Philippine leader, in comments to reporters, used a vulgarity in referring to the U.S. commander-in-chief.


Obama said earlier that he planned to use an expected meeting with Duterte at a summit in Laos to raise the issue of more than 2,000 extra-judicial killings of suspected Philippine drug dealers and users since Duterte took office in June.

For his part, Duterte has defended his support for the killings, saying he is following the will of those who elected him. Then, before departing Manila on Monday for the Lao capital, Vientiane, he warned Obama: "You must be respectful. Do not just throw questions." Using the Tagalog phrase for "son of a bitch," he then said: "Putang ina, I will swear at you in the forum."


http://gdb.voanews.com/8702C12A-1E7A-40F2-B60D-78061526743B_w250_r1_s.jpg
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks

Obama initially shrugged off Duterte's comments, noting that "clearly [Duterte] is a colorful guy." But he also said the planned meeting hinged on whether Duterte was prepared for "constructive, productive conversations." Hours later, National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the Tuesday meeting with Duterte had been canceled and that Obama would instead meet with South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

Duterte, who campaigned for the Philippine presidency on promises to end illegal drug activity in his homeland, has alarmed an array of human rights organizations with his deadly crackdown. He also has vowed to defend police and the Philippine military carrying out his orders, even at the cost of his own possible imprisonment.

http://www.voanews.com/a/barack-obama-cancels-meeting-philippine-president-public-insult/3495232.html

[waltky]

Duterte wants to kill him some more drug dealers...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif
Philippine president seeks extension of bloody war on drugs
Sep 18,`16 -- The Philippine president said Sunday that he may need to extend a bloody government anti-drug campaign that has left more than 3,000 people dead and been slammed by the United States and others.


Acknowledging for the first time that he may not be able to keep his campaign promise to eradicate illegal drugs in no more than six months, President Rodrigo Duterte said in jest that with the huge number of people involved, "even if I wanted to, I cannot kill them all." Duterte said at a news conference in the southern city of Davao that he was overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem and may need to extend his self-imposed deadline by another six months to end the scourge. He won the May 9 election on an ambitious promise to end corruption and crime, especially illegal drugs, in three to six months. More than 3,000 suspected drug dealers and traffickers have been killed in Duterte's campaign against drugs since he assumed the presidency in June, and 600,000 others, mostly drug users, have surrendered to authorities for fear they may be killed.

A law enforcement investigation, however, has turned up more names of people who are involved in the illegal drug trade, including many village leaders and mayors, Duterte said at the news conference. Duterte first built a name for his deadly crime-fighting style while serving as Davao's longtime mayor before becoming president. "I didn't realize how severe and how serious the problem of drug menace in this republic (was) until I became president," Duterte said. "Even if I wanted to, I cannot kill them all because the last report would be this thick," Duterte said, laughing.

President Barack Obama, U.N. officials and human rights watchdogs have raised concerns over the widespread killings, but Duterte has lashed back at them and other critics. He said that critics were impeding his battle against a problem that has worsened into a national security threat. A former Filipino militiaman recently testified before a Senate committee hearing that Duterte, while he was still Davao's mayor, ordered him and other members of a liquidation squad to kill criminals and opponents in gangland-style assaults that left about 1,000 dead starting in the late 1980s. While his key officials have played down the allegations and questioned the credibility of the witness, Duterte himself has not directly reacted to the statements made by Edgar Matobato in the nationally televised Senate inquiry.

Matobato testified that he heard Duterte order some of the killings, and acknowledged that he himself carried out about 50 deadly assaults as an assassin, including a suspected kidnapper fed to a crocodile in 2007 in the southern province of Davao del Sur. Rights groups have long accused Duterte of involvement in death squads. He has denied the claims, even while engaging in tough talk in which he stated his approach to criminals was to "kill them all." Matobato is the first person to admit any role in such killings, and to directly implicate Duterte under oath in a public hearing.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_PHILIPPINES_DUTERTE_DRUG_WAR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-09-18-12-03-55

[Peter1469]

He is a member of the local communist party. So no surprises.

[waltky]

Daffy diplomacy...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif
U.S. diplomat says Philippines an ally, but drug killings a concern
October 24, 2016 - The most senior U.S. diplomat for Asia assured the Philippines on Monday that Washington remained its "trusted" ally and that it supported Manila's blossoming ties with China.


U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel however warned that growing concern about drug-related killings in the Southeast Asian country was "bad for business". Russel was the first high-level visitor from Washington after President Rodrigo Duterte provoked alarm last week by announcing his country's "separation" from the United States and realignment with China while on a visit to Beijing.


https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ZGNcez9Eods2X6Hb8VDcGw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9MTI4MDtoPTk2MDtpbD 1wbGFuZQ--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/1103a4c3bed04c669584322e9300345c.jpg
Residents watch from behind the grills as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his speech before a solidarity dinner with the poor event at a slum area in Manila, Philippines on Thursday, June 30, 2016. Duterte was sworn in Thursday as president of the Philippines, with many hoping his maverick style will energize the country but others fearing he could undercut one of Asia's liveliest democracies amid his threats to kill criminals en masse.

Explaining Duterte's "Goodbye America" remarks, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay said on Saturday the United States remained the "closest friend" of the Philippines, but Manila wanted to break away from a "mindset of dependency and subservience" and forge closer ties with other nations. Russel, speaking to reporters after meeting Yasay, said Duterte "has already walked back".


https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/q_CUp4sjKNVmINbbVj9kjw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9MTI4MDtoPTk2MDtpbD 1wbGFuZQ--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/d764a0b143d8448f8cc6983c48b6e7f4.jpg
A resident gestures from behind the grills as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his speech before a solidarity dinner with the poor event at a slum area in Manila, Philippines on Thursday, June 30, 2016. Duterte was sworn in Thursday as president of the Philippines, with many hoping his maverick style will energize the country but others fearing he could undercut one of Asia's liveliest democracies amid his threats to kill criminals en masse.

He said Washington supported direct dialogue and negotiations between the Philippines and China. "So, it's a mistake to think that improved relations between Manila and Beijing somehow come at the expense of the U.S.," he said. "We don’t want countries to have to choose between the U.S. and China." During his meeting with the Philippine foreign minister, Russel however said he expressed his concern the "succession of controversial statements, comments and a real climate of uncertainty about the Philippines’ intentions has created consternation in a number of countries". He added, "This is not a positive trend."


https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/HAMvxLKTLuq9kDUhpUqXrw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9OTQ1O2g9NjE3O2lsPX BsYW5l/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/96645f2902264b19a668a89558104a8b.jpg
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, second from left, looks as Filipino folk singer Freddie Aguilar sings during the solidarity dinner with the poor event at a slum area in Manila, Philippines on Thursday, June 30, 2016. Duterte was sworn in Thursday as president of the Philippines, with many hoping his maverick style will energize the country but others fearing he could undercut one of Asia's liveliest democracies amid his threats to kill criminals en masse.

Duterte has been scathing about U.S. criticism of his anti-drugs campaign in which about 2,300 people have been killed since he took office on June 30. Russel said the United States supported Manila's anti-narcotics campaign, but due process and human rights should not be disregarded. "The growing uncertainty about this and other issues is bad for business," he said. "This is a very competitive region." Russel's trip to Manila is part of a three-nation swing through Southeast Asia that also includes Thailand and Cambodia, the U.S. State Department announced on its website.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/top-u-diplomat-meet-philippine-foreign-minister-amid-020023893.html?ref=gs

See also:

US: Philippines' Duterte sparking distress around the world
Oct 24,`16 -- A top American diplomat for Asia said Monday that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's controversial remarks and a "real climate of uncertainty" about his government's intentions have sparked distress in the U.S. and other countries.


Daniel Russel, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said he also relayed to Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. international concern over continuing killings under Duterte's crackdown against illegal drugs. In addition, Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by phone Sunday with Yasay about "recent challenges" in bilateral relations, the State Department said. Russel's visit to the Philippines, part of a three-nation trip to Southeast Asia, comes amid increasing uncertainty about Washington's treaty alliance with Manila. The brash Duterte, who took office on June 30, has displayed antagonism toward America, declaring his desire to scale back military engagements with the U.S. and telling President Barack Obama to "go to hell."

Duterte's administration, however, has not formalized his public declarations to remove U.S. counterterrorism forces from the volatile southern Philippines and stop large-scale joint exercises involving American forces, creating confusion among even his Cabinet officials. Duterte sparked diplomatic alarm when he announced during a state visit to Beijing last week his "separation" with the United States. Upon returning home the next day, Duterte said he did not mean he was severing diplomatic ties with Washington but only wanted to end a foreign policy that's overly oriented toward the U.S. "I've pointed out to Secretary Yasay that the succession of controversial statements, comments and a real climate of uncertainty about the Philippines' intentions has created consternation in a number of countries, not only in mine," Russel told reporters in Manila after an extended meeting with Yasay.

The unease, Russel said, was also palpable "not only among governments, but also ... in other communities, in the expat Filipino community, in corporation boardrooms as well." "This is not a positive trend," he said, adding that the U.S. remains committed to continuing a solid alliance with and providing assistance to the Philippines, including in fighting drug crime. State Department spokesman John Kirby, however, said both Kerry and Russel came away from their discussions "feeling that we are going to be able to work through this period." Kirby said the U.S. remains committed to its mutual defense treaty with the Philippines.

MORE (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_PHILIPPINES_DUTERTE_US?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-10-24-15-27-26)

[Tahuyaman]

"... he fights to the death, you can kill him."

If someone is going to kill you, you are generally allowed to use at least reasonable force to defend yourself pretty much everywhere without legal consequences. Sounds to me like that is what is being advocated, not so much vigilantism. I would assume if he was advocating for you to seek out people where you would be putting your life at risk in order to justify killing someone, his statement would be worded differently.


He's telling people that they don't need to be afraid to defend themselves against a criminal class that's getting out of control.

[donttread]

(CNN)Philippines president-elect Rodrigo Duterte effectively said he supports vigilantism in a nationally-televised speech.


Faced with criminals who resist arrest or threaten citizens, the controversial politician suggested that it was fine for citizens to take the law into their own hands.
"If he fights, and he fights to the death, you can kill him," said the former mayor of Davao City, who was elected to the presidency in a decisive victory last month.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/06/asia/duterte-drug-dealers-lethal-force-vigilantism/index.html

Sounds really problematic but on the other hand our system has completly failed so what do we know?

[waltky]

More emphasis to be put into arresting prominent people tied to the drug trade...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/icon_cool.gif
Philippines police plan new phase in drugs war - sources
Mon Oct 24, 2016 | Signaling a shift in strategy in its blood-soaked war against drugs, Philippines police aim to reduce the killing of suspects and put more resources into arresting prominent people tied to the trade, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.


Project Double Barrel Alpha will put a stronger focus on arresting politicians, military, police, government officials and celebrities allegedly involved in narcotics, the sources said. The new approach will be outlined on Tuesday at a meeting of police chiefs from each of the Philippines' 18 regions at Camp Crame, the police headquarters north of the capital Manila, Philippines National Police spokesman Dionardo Carlos confirmed to Reuters. The operation will be launched within days, Carlos said, adding he did not have further details of the new operation. The meeting comes after what one of the sources familiar with details of the plan described as "intense" discussions among law enforcement officials about the wave of killings of drug suspects. "We will give emphasis [to] arrests rather than neutralization," said one of the sources.

Asked why the new approach is being taken now, he said: "It is related to the EJK issue. We are doing our best to address that ... It was a collective decision after an intense discussion of the implications of the EJK issue." He did not elaborate on who was involved in the decision-making. "Neutralization" is a euphemism for the killings that have characterized the anti-drugs drive. EJK refers to extrajudicial killings. A recent poll showed public unease over the deadly anti-drug campaign, with 94 percent of the respondents saying it was important for the police to take suspects alive. Another component of Project Double Barrel Alpha will see police working with community leaders to clear neighborhoods of drugs and set up local rehabilitation programs.

'NARCO STATE'

Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte had given police six months to suppress drugs and crime, warning the country was on the verge of becoming a "narco state". He then extended the campaign, called "Project Double Barrel" another six months to make it a year. In less than four months since taking office, almost 2,300 people have been slain in the crackdown, according to official figures, revised down from earlier estimates of 3,600. The majority of the deaths - more than 1,600 - were during police operations, drawing sharp criticism from Western governments, the United Nations, human rights groups and some Catholic priests. "If you know any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful," Duterte told supporters the day after he took office on June 30 this year.

Duterte's comments were condemned by the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary executions Agnes Callamard. "It is effectively a license to kill," she said. At other times, however, Duterte has said he doesn't endorse extrajudicial killings or vigilante murders of drug suspects. "Who killed them? I don't know but why are they pointing at me, blaming me for those deaths," Duterte said earlier this month. Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella told Reuters: "Everything that the president said was always in the context of sticking within the law."

WAR ON POOR] (http://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-drugs-exclusive-idUSKCN12O1V2)

[MRogersNhood]

Are drugs really that bad?

[waltky]

Drug dealin' Philippine mayor shot dead in jail cell...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif
Philippines mayor linked to drugs trade shot dead in cell
Sat, 05 Nov 2016 - A mayor linked to the drugs trade in the Philippines is shot dead in his prison cell by police.


Rolando Espinosa, mayor of the central town of Albuera, had fired at officers searching for weapons, police said. The death comes after President Rodrigo Duterte vowed to step up his policy of killing suspected drug dealers. A new stage in the crackdown was announced last week to include mayors and senior drug lords. The "war on drugs" has killed up to 4,000 people. Mr Duterte, 71, was elected in May on a platform of preventing the Philippines becoming a "narco state" by sanctioning the extra-judicial killing of drug criminals who fail to turn themselves in.


http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/201A/production/_92281280_mediaitem92281279.jpg
Mayor Ronaldo Espinosa (L) who was shot dead by Philippines police in his jail cell

The policy has faced strong criticism from human rights groups and put Mr Duterte at odds with the United States - a staunch ally of the Philippines. But he won the election by a landslide and the controversial policy remains popular with many Filipinos. There have been calls for Mr Espinosa's death to be investigated to determine in particular how weapons ended up in his cell and how the exchange of fire broke out.

He is the second mayor to be killed within two weeks. Samsudin Dimaukom died, reportedly in a gun battle, in the southern Philippines. Both men were among officials named by Mr Duterte in August as having links to the drug trade. Mr Espinosa gave himself up to police in August, was then released but was later re-arrested on drugs and firearms charges.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-37882562

See also:

Another Philippine Mayor Accused of Drug Crimes by Duterte Is Killed
NOV. 5, 2016 — A Philippine mayor who had been accused of drug trafficking by President Rodrigo Duterte was shot and killed by police officers in his jail cell on Saturday, the police said.


The mayor, Rolando Espinosa Sr. of Albuera, a town in Leyte Province in the central Philippines, had been arrested in October, several weeks after Mr. Duterte included him in a list of about 150 Philippine officials who he said were involved in narcotics. Mr. Espinosa, who had denied any wrongdoing, is the second politician on the list to have been killed by police officers in a little more than a week. The Leyte provincial police said Saturday that Mr. Espinosa and his cellmate, identified as Raul Yap, had been killed in a “firefight” with police officers, who woke them at dawn while searching their cell. The provincial police chief, Juvy Espinido, told a Manila radio station that both men had “resisted” the police but said he could not provide further details. Later, the police said they had recovered two handguns from the jail cell. Bags containing what was believed to be methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia were also found inside the cell, the police said. Calls to spokesmen for the national police in Manila were not returned.

Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana, a member of the Philippine Commission on Human Rights, an independent government body, said the deaths “raise serious questions on the responsibility of the state to protect persons deprived of liberty, especially in relation to the primordial right to live of every human being.” Ms. Pimentel-Gana called on the police to “hold the people responsible for the deaths accountable.” Mr. Espinosa died just eight days after Samsudin Dimaukom, another mayor accused of drug crimes by Mr. Duterte, was killed by police officers in the southern Philippines. Mr. Dimaukom, who also denied being involved in narcotics, was gunned down at a police checkpoint along with nine men traveling with him; the police said people in Mr. Dimaukom’s party had fired on officers.

Since taking office in June, Mr. Duterte has embarked on a bloody campaign against drugs — particularly shabu, a cheap form of methamphetamine — that has left about 2,000 people dead, some killed by police officers and others by vigilantes. Human rights groups and Western governments have criticized the campaign, but it has been popular in the Philippines. In August, Mr. Duterte read on television his list of officials allegedly involved in drugs, warning them to surrender to the authorities. He offered no evidence of their guilt and later said some names might have been put on the list by mistake.

Mr. Espinosa, who was accused by Mr. Duterte along with his son, Kerwin Espinosa, turned himself in to the police in Manila, while his son went into hiding. The son has since been detained in Abu Dhabi, and Philippine officials said they were seeking to have him returned. While Rolando Espinosa was in detention, the police raided his home and killed six of his bodyguards. They said they had found about 24 pounds of shabu on the property. Nevertheless, he was later freed, only to be arrested again in October and charged with illegal possession of drugs and firearms. A statement on Saturday from the office of Mr. Duterte’s communications secretary, Martin Andanar, called Mr. Espinosa’s death “unfortunate.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/06/world/asia/philippines-mayor-rolando-espinosa-drugs-duterte.html?_r=0

[stephen50right]

All the many years of warm ties, all the blood that American soldiers spilled to keep the Philippines free from tyranny, all the many Filipino immigrants who have made great US citizens...and Obama and Hillary can't even keep this relationship together.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are a walking, talking, shameful disgrace to our country.

Every American of Philippines ancestry must vote for Donald Trump. There is no other choice.

[waltky]

Duterte fightin' the Meth gangs of China...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/icon_cool.gif
Meth gangs of China play star role in Philippines drug crisis
Dec. 16, 2016, In President Duterte's war on drugs, there's an elephant in the room. Even as he seeks closer ties with Beijing, the mainland is his country's main source of narcotics - and drug-control officials say little is being done to stanch the flow.


It was around 10 a.m. on September 22 when the raid on the pig farm began. Accompanied by fire and sanitation officials, a police team entered the compound at the foot of the extinct volcano Mount Arayat, north of Manila, on the pretext they were conducting a safety inspection. They didn’t find any pigs. What they did uncover, in a hangar larger than a football field, was a raised platform supporting a diesel generator, an industrial chiller and distillation equipment – all for the production of the highly addictive drug methamphetamine. The industrial-sized laboratory, the police report said, was capable of producing at least 200 kilograms a day of meth. Around that time, a kilogram of meth had a street value of $120,000, the police said.


http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/assets/philippines-drugs-china/IMG20160907012706_CROPPED.jpg?v=343319161216
THE CHINA CONNECTION: A drug-control agent guards two Chinese nationals who were arrested during a raid on a meth lab in the northern Philippines in early September. The lab was constructed in a piggery, which helps to disguise the strong smell given off by meth production.

Philippine law enforcement authorities had been alerted to the farm by locals who reported spotting vehicles with “Chinese-looking men” entering at night and leaving before dawn. During the raid, police arrested Hong Wenzheng, a 39-year-old Chinese national from Fujian province who is now in prison awaiting trial. Four other men believed to be Chinese nationals escaped and are the target of a manhunt. The piggery bust points to an uncomfortable truth for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte as he wages his “war on drugs”: The problem he’s fighting is largely made in China, the country he is embracing as a potential ally at the expense of longstanding ties with the United States.


http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/assets/philippines-drugs-china/meth-flows-map.png?v=343319161216

The arrest of Hong, who has pleaded not guilty, added to the ranks of Chinese nationals seized in the Philippines on narcotics charges. Of 77 foreign nationals arrested for meth-related drug offenses between January 2015 and mid-August 2016, nearly two-thirds were Chinese and almost a quarter were Taiwanese or Hong Kong residents, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). Known in the trade as “cooks” and “chemists,” meth production experts are flown into the Philippines from Greater China by drug syndicates to work at labs like the one at Mount Arayat. China isn’t only a source of meth expertise – it is also the biggest source of the meth and of the precursor chemicals used to produce the synthetic drug that are being smuggled into the Philippines, according to local drug enforcement officials. “It’s safe to say that the majority of the meth we have comes from China,” said PDEA spokesman Derrick Carreon.


http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/assets/philippines-drugs-china/041.jpg?v=343319161216
REHAB RIGORS: Drug users exercise at a rehabilitation center in the northern Philippines in October. The Philippines has few treatment facilities.

China’s dominant role in the Philippine meth trade has not dissuaded President Duterte from cozying up to Beijing, even as he declares drugs to be his country’s greatest scourge. Duterte is waging a brutal anti-narcotics campaign that has killed more than 2,000 people and led to the arrest of more than 38,000. Police are investigating some 3,000 more deaths. During a trip to Beijing in October, the Philippine president announced his “separation” from the United States and declared that he had realigned with China, casting doubt on the almost seven-decade alliance between Washington and Manila. The pivot to Beijing has bewildered some drug-control officials at home, who say China’s leaders have provided little help over the years in stemming the flow of drugs into the Philippines.

MORE (http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/philippines-drugs-china/)

[waltky]

US withholds aid, Duterte says farewell...

US Withholds Aid, Calls Duterte Killing Boasts 'Troubling'
December 15, 2016 | WASHINGTON — The United States said Thursday it is withholding a major aid package to the Philippines and is deeply troubled by a boast from the nation's leader that he used to drive around looking for criminals to kill.


It's the latest sign of strain in U.S.-Philippine relations since President Rodrigo Duterte launched a crackdown on illegal drugs has led to thousands of deaths in police gun battles. Courting new controversy, Duterte said in a speech Monday that as a former mayor he'd patrol on a motorcycle hunting for criminals to kill to set an example for police to follow. Duterte said he was "really looking for an encounter to be able to kill.''


http://gdb.voanews.com/FF892BF7-E6AC-4AE9-AA31-41EB94758A67_cx0_cy7_cw0_w250_r1_s_r1.jpg
A soldier salutes as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrives to take part during the change of command for the new Armed Forces chief at a military camp in Quezon city, Metro Manila

White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters, "Those comments are deeply troubling, and they certainly are at odds with the Philippine government's stated commitment to due process and rule of law.'' Earnest reiterated U.S. concern about extrajudicial killings by or at the behest of Philippine government authorities - criticism that has angered Duterte, who has taken a hostile stance toward the U.S. and reached out to China and Russia since taking office in June.

The U.S.-government aid agency, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, said that its board this week deferred a vote on a renewal of development assistance package for the Philippines, "subject to a further review of concerns around rule of law and civil liberties.'' The Philippines has been slated for another aid package after its previous five-year, $434 million poverty reduction program was completed in May. The agency's spokeswoman, Laura Allen, said Thursday it will continue to monitor events in the Philippines. The next board review is in March 2017.

http://www.voanews.com/a/us-withholds-aid-calls-philippines-duterte-killing-boasts-troubling/3638641.html

See also:

Philippines Duterte Says ‘Bye, Bye’ to US, Its Aid
December 17, 2016 - Possibly thinking a major U.S. aid package had been terminated, an enraged Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said “bye, bye” to America in retaliation Saturday and threatened to dissolve an agreement that allows U.S. troops to visit the Philippines.


The Millennium Challenge Corporation, a U.S. government aid agency, did not actually cancel the aid. Instead, the agency deferred a vote on the renewal of aid for the Philippines “subject of a further review of concerns around rule of law and civil liberties.” Duterte won the presidential election earlier this year largely based on his promise to aggressively target drug dealers and criminals. Philippine police and vigilantes have killed at least 3,600 people for drug use and drug sales since Duterte took office at the end of June. “We can survive without American money,” Duterte said, “but you know America you might also be put to notice. Prepare to leave the Philippines. Prepare for the eventual repeal for the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement.”


http://gdb.voanews.com/5362513E-FC78-41A8-B0ED-4D07A8A21EC5_cx0_cy7_cw0_w250_r1_s_r1.jpg
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers a speech during the 80th National Bureau of Investigation anniversary, Nov. 14, 2016. On Thursday Duterte said he might withdraw from the International Criminal Court.

The controversial leader also said Saturday he would set aside a ruling by an international arbitration tribunal that invalidated Beijing’s claims to most of the busy South China Sea, because he doesn’t want to impose on China, which has apparently installed weapons on the South China Sea territory. Philippines Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay, Jr. said, “We want to make sure that there will be no further actions that will heighten the tensions” between China and the Philippines. Manila has been one of Washington’s chief Asian allies since the two sides signed a mutual defense treaty in 1951.

Since 2002, 50 to 100 American advisers have normally worked in the archipelago’s southwest, helping to keep Muslim rebels in check. Since the two sides signed an agreement in 2014, American naval personnel have visited to help the country watch for Chinese ships in contested waters. The United States, a former colonizer of the Philippines, also gives many work visas to Filipinos and was the country’s No. 2 source of foreign direct investment after Japan in 2013. In 2013 the United States invested $1.3 billion in the Philippines.

http://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-duterte-says-goodbye-to-us-its-money/3640062.html

[Ransom]

Sounds really problematic but on the other hand our system has completly failed so what do we know?

True, not like we can be critical...but it does allow you to get a zinger in on your own nation even though the topic is the Philippines and its' President. Your hate reaches far, runs deep.

[waltky]

Muslim rebels free cohorts from prison in Philippines...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/icon_omg.gif
Jailbreak alert: Armed men linked to Muslim rebels free more than 150 from prison in Philippines
Thursday 5th January, 2017 - In a dramatic and violent jailbreak, armed men linked to Muslim rebel groups are said to have barged into a prison in the Philippines on Wednesday.


According to reports, there were nearly 100 armed men that stormed into the North Cotabato District jail, Kidapawan in southern Philippines and opened fire on the jail officials, killing one prison guard. The North Cotabato jail has nearly 1,511 inmates, out of which 158 were freed by the armed men. Of the 158 prisoners that escaped, nine have reportedly been caught, while six have been killed in the operation. Two of those that escaped eventually surrendered. Peter Jon, warden at the jail was quoted as saying, "It's to rescue their comrades under our custody. It is a rescue operation. The (inmates) took chances because of the volume of fire... They used their bedding, piled them on top of each other to escape."

Nine prisoners that were caught were identified as Jason Angkanan, Wennie Curimo Rota, Faisal Tiburon, Joselito Tomines, Jerome Oguit, Melvin Antipuesto Canete, Richel Vales Flores, Joreste Robles Perdido, and Ruta Coremo. Out of them, Jason Angkanan, is known to be in possession of illegal drugs. In his statement to the police, he said that he had not conspired to run away, but was simply following other prisoners. Reading out an excerpt from his statement, the police said, "At about 1 a.m. of January 4, he was awaken by several gun burst and then he heard that some of the inmates shouted that they should go out from the custodial facility building for the attackers will burn it.”


http://cdn.bignewsnetwork.com/cus1483549674.jpg

Acting governor of North Cotabato, Shirlyn Macasarte revealed that her office had a whiff of a plan being hatched by the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) to free its members since last year. She said to a media channel, "They were involved in murders and at the same time I think they have experience in bomb making so we watched them closely.” In her statement, she added that the leaders of the attacks had links with the BOFF, which is a sub-group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Nearly two years ago, members of the MILF and BIFF were said to be the masterminds behind the killing of 44 police commandos in a bid to acquire a bomb maker. While the government signed a peace-deal with the MILF in 2014, clashes have not ceased from the latter’s side. Over the last few years, Philippines has been witnessing a dangerous rise in Muslim insurgency.

http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/250657053/jailbreak-alert-armed-men-linked-to-muslim-rebels-free-more-than-150-from-prison-in-philippines

See also:

Russia offers Philippines arms and close friendship
Wednesday, Jan. 04, 2017 — Russia is ready to supply the Philippines with sophisticated weapons including aircraft and submarines and aims to become a close friend of the traditional U.S. ally as it diversifies its foreign ties, Russia’s ambassador said on Wednesday.


Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has thrown the future of Philippine-U.S. relations into question with angry outbursts against the former colonial power and some scaling back of military ties while taking steps to boost ties with China and Russia. Illustrating the transformation of Philippine foreign relations since Duterte took office in June, two Russian warships are on four-day visit to Manila this week, the first official navy-to-navy contact between the two countries. Russian Ambassador Igor Anatolyevich Khovaev took the opportunity to hold a news conference on board the anti-submarine vessel Admiral Tributs.

He said he understood that the Philippines was intent on diversifying its foreign partners. “It’s not a choice between these partners and those ones. Diversification means preserving and keeping old traditional partners and getting new ones. So Russia is ready to become a new reliable partner and close friend of the Philippines,” he said. “We don’t interfere with your relations with your traditional partners and your traditional partners should respect the interest of the Philippines and Russia.” The Russian navy visit comes less than a month after Duterte sent his foreign and defence ministers to Moscow to discuss arms deals after a U.S. senator said he would block the sale of 26,000 assault rifles to the Philippines due to concern about a rising death toll in a war on drugs launched by Duterte.

Khovaev said Russia had a range of weapons to offer. “We are ready to supply small arms and light weapons, some aeroplanes, helicopters, submarines and many, many other weapons. Sophisticated weapons. Not the second-hand ones,” Khovaev said. “Russia has a lot to offer but everything will be done in full compliance with international law.” He said it was too early to talk about the scope of military cooperation but, in a clear reference to the United States, said old allies should not worry. “Your traditional partners should not be concerned about the military ties ... If they are concerned, it means they need to get rid of clichés,” he said.

Rear Admiral Eduard Mikhailov, head of the Flotilla of the Russian Navy Pacific Fleet, said on Tuesday Russia wanted to hold maritime exercises with the Philippines to help combat terrorism and piracy. The United States and the Philippines have been holding naval exercises annually but Duterte has decided to reduce the number of exercises and to move naval drills away from the disputed South China Sea, to reassure China, which is suspicious of U.S. military movements in the disputed waters.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/russia-offers-philippines-arms-and-close-friendship/article33487198/?cmpid=rss1