Duterte says he won't assist OFWs who commit crimes abroad

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has warned overseas Filipino workers that he would not help them if they commit crimes in their host countries. 

Duterte issued the warning as he threatened foreigners not to bring illegal drugs to the Philippines.

"Whether as a drug lord, I do not care if you are from China, if you are from Taiwan, if you are from Malaysia. If you come here and you do that (bring illegal drugs), I will really kill you," the president said during an assembly of village leaders in Pasay last Monday. 

"To the Filipinos outside (the country), do not do that because you will get killed. Do not (commit) crimes, your crimes in other countries. I cannot help you and I won’t help you. Remember that," he added. 

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Duterte reiterated that now is the most dangerous time to be involved in illegal drugs. 

"I will make this statement very, very clear. I promised you that at this time of our national life, it is the time during my time that it would be very, very dangerous for anybody to do drugs," he said. 

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the president would not travel to another country to seek the pardon of Filipinos who committed crimes. 

"What he means by that is he cannot be violating the laws of other countries, just like his position that you cannot violate our laws," Panelo said.  

"Now, if Filipinos will be engaged in drug trafficking, he will not lift a hand in the sense that he would be traveling there and asking the president for a pardon. What we can do is just to provide lawyers from them," he added. 

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Panelo said helping Filipinos involved in narcotics goes against the Philippines' campaign against illegal drugs. 

"It will be against our own policy too, that we are very strict on the enforcement of the drug laws but in other countries, we are inconsistent," he added.

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