Duterte fumes over ‘pay per kill’ report

MANILA, Philippines - Saying he is not in the business of paying policemen for every drug suspect killed, President Duterte blasted Amnesty International (AI) yesterday for its report on how the killing of drug offenders had become a state-sanctioned source of income for law enforcers.

In a speech in Cotabato, Duterte vehemently belied reports that the PNP acted on instructions “from the very top of government” to kill thousands of suspected drug offenders and get rewarded with cash incentives for the task.

He also defended the Philippine National Police (PNP) against criticism of its enforcement of his administration’s war on drugs.

The report said policemen were given P5,000 to P15,000 for every kill during drug sting operations.

“Why would I give them money just to make them kill people? It’s their job,” he said in Filipino with expletives.

“I’m not a weakling president. I’m from Mindanao,” he added.

Duterte, however, admitted having released about P115 million in intelligence funds to boost the PNP’s drug operations dubbed Oplan Tokhang. 

The intelligence funds were not rewards but were intended to help police in anti-drug operations.

Duterte, who has ordered the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to lead the drug operations nationwide with the help of the military, again expressed disappointment with some policemen’s recycling illegal drugs such as shabu for re-sale. “It’s a police racket,” he said.

“Wag ninyo akong galitin…Yan mga taga Maynila, mahina yan (Don’t make me angry. You in Manila, you’re puny),” he said.

As a politician from Mindanao, Duterte said he cannot be misled by anyone from Manila, as he claimed to be smarter than them.

‘Not about hatred and violence’

Staunch ally Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said Duterte is not a violent man but is simply doing everything he can to end the scourge of illegal drugs and attain peace in the country.

Cayetano made the pronouncement before delegates to the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.

He invited the delegates to visit the Philippines, as he appealed to them to “please look at us from a different perspective.”

The senator made the appeal as the Duterte administration continues to reap international condemnation over the spate of extrajudicial killings in the country – over 7,000 recorded so far – attributed to the brutal campaign against illegal drugs.

“We invite you to come to the Philippines and see for yourselves that the Philippines is not about hatred and violence as being shown in the international media,” Cayetano said.

He encouraged the foreign leaders to come and visit the country to “discover for themselves the natural beauty of the country, and get to know Filipinos who are loving, kind and hospitable.”

He also said the administration’s campaign against drugs is “not a war to kill criminals… but a war to fight for the lives of all Filipinos.”

The senator said Duterte has acknowledged there are law enforcers who abuse their powers, but this should not be a reason to stop the entire drug campaign in general.

“President Duterte is being portrayed in the international community as a ‘violent’ man. But a ‘violent’ man does not want peace for anyone,” Cayetano said.

“Our President is doing everything to make the peace talks successful, achieve lasting peace and win the war against illegal drugs,” he said.

He compared the rogue cops in the law enforcement agencies like the Philippine National Police to the corrupt personnel in tax agencies.

“When tax collecting agencies become rigged with corruption, we did not tell them to stop collecting taxes, but we cleansed the agencies,” he said.

He said there may be weaknesses in the system but the important thing is that the cleansing is ongoing. – With Paolo Romero