Rights advocates grieve 'loss of a life of a criminal,' Duterte claims

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte assailed anew human rights advocates who oppose the government's "drug war" in the wake of fresh criticisms by a United Nations official, who said her office is monitoring the rights situation in the Philippines closely.

Duterte, whose anti-narcotics campaign has left 6,600 "drug personalities" dead in law enforcement operations, claimed human rights advocates mourn the deaths of drug suspects but ignore the plight of victims of drug addicts. 

RELATED: UN rights chief closely monitoring situation in Philippines

"Do the human rights (advocates) know how many have been affected (by the drug menace)? Do they know how many innocent people have died compared to the sons of a b**** 
drug addicts? Do they know how many women, children were raped, whose faces were skinned? Who wants that?" the president said during the oath-taking of local officials in Malacañang. 

Although the government releases "drug war" data through its #RealNumbersPH campaign, it has not released figures on drug-related crimes.

"The problem with human rights (advocates) is they only count the number of deaths. They do not count the number of innocent children, women who died. I do not want that...They are grieving the loss of a life of a criminal," he added. 

Rights advocates do not condone crime and the UN recognizes that drug addiction and the illegal drug trade are problems. The government's "war on drugs" has, however, raised concerns on whether suspects' rights to due process are observed.

RELATED: UN on drug problem: People first through health, rights

Duterte made the statement shortly after UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet described the deaths in the Philippines' anti-narcotics campaign as "a 
matter of most serious concern."

During the opening of the UN Human Rights Council’s 41st session in Switzerland on Monday, Bachelet urged Philippine authorities to probe the killings as she expressed concern over what she called the "extraordinarily high number of deaths" tied to the drug war. 

“Even the officially confirmed number of 5,425 deaths would be a matter of most serious concern for any country,” Bachelet said, referring to figures since superceded by a PNP data release this month.

Duterte and his officials have often claimed that human rights advocates and defenders are working with drug syndicates, terrorists and criminals to discredit and bring the government down.

RELATED: Drug war death toll now 6,600 – PNP

Mexican cartel in league with Asian drug syndicate?

Duterte said the Philippines continues to grapple with the drug menace because of the entry of narcotics from international cartels. 

"If you are facing the map, your left hand is the west and your right hand is the east... We still have to fathom the different kinds of cocaine being dropped in both sides of our country," the president said. 

"So we are suspecting that the (Sinaloa) of Mexico are testing the waters. But we have some sort of—not hard—but we have proof that they have also engaged the triad, Bamboo Triad, here in Asia," he added.

Duterte said combatting the drug problem would require a lot of resources. 

"It might appear just to be an ordinary law-and-order problem. But it will hound the Philippines until kingdom come because it is worldwide," he added. 

Duterte believes the country's problems, including the campaign against illegal drugs, are so tough that a president should be ready to skin people. 

"I told Inday (Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio), ‘Huwag ka nang pumasok diyan. Unless marunong ka magbalat ng tao.’ Kaya mong balatan ‘yang tao, eh ‘di sige (Do not go there unless you know how to skin people. If you know how to skin people, go ahead)," he said. 

"But where will it bring you? Will bring you to trouble. It’s a gamble."

RELATED: Duterte officials hold drug suspects, criminals not human