Duterte curses priests for calling for end to killings

MANILA, Philippines - President Duterte yesterday lashed out at the Catholic Church and cussed its priests and a bishop for calling an end to the killings associated with the war against illegal drugs.

The President said he could not end the campaign against drugs now, saying it would compromise the next generation.

“Si Capalla, yong bishop namin doon, pareho man kami may mga kabit rin. Sila Obispo, ako mayor noon. Mga pari pu… na, bwisit. Mga pamoral-moral (Capalla was our bishop then. We’re the same, we both have mistresses. He was bishop, I was mayor then. These priests are sons of… b**t. They pretend to be morally right),” Duterte said, referring to former Davao bishop Fernando Capalla.

The President made the remark during a visit to Camp Abendan in Barangay Mercedes, Zamboanga City where he honored the anti-drug accomplishments of police stations in Zamboanga peninsula.

Among those cited were police stations 9 and 11 in Zamboanga City, Kabasalan police in Zamboanga Sibugay and Molave police in Zamboanga del Sur.

Each station received a reward of P250,000 from the President.

No compromise

Duterte said he would not compromise his campaign against illegal drugs.

“Stopping the anti-drug campaign now would lead to the country’s downfall. This is an ongoing and recurring problem. We can only slow it down.”

He said he did not realize the magnitude of the problem until a huge number of drug users and traffickers – young and old, male and female – surrendered to the authorities.

Some 700,000 Filipinos nationwide gave in to the conduct of Oplan Tokhang.

The President described the drug problem as “evolving like hell,” noting the number of people hooked on drugs has reached four million.

With the magnitude of the drug problem, Duterte said no president could prevent himself from uttering invectives.

“I lose an average of two policemen a day and I really take time to go out not only to condole with the family, but also to show my solidarity with these officers. People expect us to stop this problem on time,” Duterte said.

He said as the country’s commander-in-chief, he is ready to pardon police officers who might encounter legal problems in pursuit of the war against illegal drugs.