Duterte willing to lose presidency to defend cops in anti-crime ops

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday said he is willing to lose the presidency if only to defend policemen who will enforce his anti-crime strategy.

Duterte said this as he warned the police force against being involved in illegal activities.

"I am warning you I will be harsh, I will go to the extreme. ‘Yung nagkakaso kayo ng may mga kidnapping, I will review your [cases] and I will like to talk to you in Malacañang, dalawa lang tayo," Duterte told police officers attending the assumption of command ceremony for Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.

"Do not bullshit with me but do your duty, I will die for you. Do your duty and if in the process you kill 1,000 persons because you were doing duty and I will protect you. And if they will try to impeach me, I will hurry up the process and we go out of the service together,” he said.

Duterte, known for his tough stance against crime, corruption and illegal drugs, promised the Philippine National Police (PNP) that he would provide the money and weapons for them to fulfill their duty.

“I will protect you in all of your undertakings, adventures, as a law enforcement guy, I will be there to protect you. I will provide you the funds. I will provide the weapons needed to fight criminality, particularly drugs,” he said.

Meanwhile, Duterte also shrugged off criticisms that he appointed his close friends and drinking buddies in top positions of the PNP. He said he has set limitations in his relationship with the police since he was mayor of Davao City.

Duterte was first elected as Davao City mayor in 1988 and had been re-elected many times. He said officials he appointed in law enforcement agencies were, at one time or another, city police directors of Davao.

“Now the complaint is that: Mga kasama ko, mga kainum, pati kabarkada. Neither of the three. I do not drink with soldiers or policemen. I do not go around with them. I go home early --- or I’ll have a rapport with them,” he said.

“There is always a limitation between a mayor and a police. For I have to discipline also civilians and in the military and police alike,” Duterte added.

He also said that he has given a free hand to both Dela Rosa and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Lt. Gen. Ricardo Visaya to decide on the careers of their men.

“I never interfere in their choices of commanders. Sinasabi ko lang: You do your own thing. You assemble your own team to help you succeed. I will not interfere with the assignments but you have to answer to me for anything that happens,” Duterte said.

Both Dela Rosa and Visaya have formally assumed command of the PNP and AFP, respectively, on Friday, a day after Duterte's inauguration. —RSJ/KBK, GMA News