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In COVID-19 address, Duterte rants against human rights advocates anew


President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night slammed human rights advocates anew over criticisms of his administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.

“Kayong mga Pilipino, everyday you see drug cases either busted, arrested, killed, and running into millions ang amount. Makita ninyo sa inyong telebisyon. Napakatorpe naman nitong human rights… Magbilang lang kayo ng patay? Eh p****ina ninyo maglipat kayo ng trabaho, ‘wag sa human rights,” Duterte said in his nationally-televised address.

Instead of criticizing the war on drugs campaign, Duterte urged human rights groups to embaek into education drives against drug use.

“Kung ‘yan naman trabaho niyo, what about the social problems, the serious and grave problems of drug addiction in this country? What are you doing about it? At least mayroon kayong advocacy. It does not begin and end in the life of a criminal,” he said.

“Naloko na ba kayo? It should be something you’d also do a campaign all around the Philippines — warning the citizens about being killed about being slaughtered if they do drugs. ’Yan ang tama na gawain ninyo,” Duterte added.

He also claimed that human rights advocates are more concerned with killings instead of the innocent victims of drug users.

“Bakit hanggang ngayon nagbabaha ng droga, ano ang gagawin natin sa mga namatay? Ano gagawin sa bata na tinusok ng kahoy mula puwet hanggang bunganga? ’Yan ang mas gusto ninyo ‘yan kaysa mga itong mga animal na ito,” Duterte said.

The president also renewed his threat to kill drug dealers.

“Sinabi ko if you destroy my country, I will kill you… I will really do it. Malas mo lang kung ma-timing-an. Kung nandiyan ako, sabihin ko sa mga pulis ‘umalis kayo diyan tapos hayaan niyo ako dito sa p***inang ’to.’ I will do it,” he said.

“Drug really destroys the spirit of a nation kasi ang biktima ninyo mga gunggong na eh, wala na talagang pag-asa, of no use to the society anymore,” Duterte said. “Gawin ko ang gusto ko para sa bayan ko.”

The Duterte administration has been widely criticized for its campaign against illegal drugs, which has killed thousands of alleged drug peddlers, many of them poor.

Human rights groups have also condemned alleged extrajudicial killings in connection with the war on drugs.

In June, the United Nations human rights chief reported that many of such extrajudicial killings have been met with “near impunity.”

Meanwhile, in his State of the Nation Address, Duterte said his government “will not dodge” its obligation to fight for human rights.

Duterte said part of the government's human rights efforts is the protection of  the rights of children and the right against discrimination. He cited his signing of Executive Order No. 92, which created the National Council Against Child Labor. —LDF, GMA News

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