(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte slammed his critics who he said twisted his words on his earlier directive for the police and the military to enforce order amid the chaos on the COVID-19 crisis.
He particularly hit those who highlighted his alleged shoot to kill order saying that they had put his words out of context, and cut out the preceding phrase he had announced on national television.
“Remember this, abogado ako. I never said in public shoot to kill, period. Sinabi ko — always ‘yan maski ‘yung sa human rights diyan sa UN, if you think that your life is in danger, maging biyuda ang asawa mo na maganda, mag-asawa uli, at ang mga anak mo mawalaan ng tatay, ‘pag tinignan mo na delikado ang buhay mo, patay, unahan mo na, patayin mo,” he said as he came out on national television once again to address the nation on Friday night, April 3.
“Huwag ninyong putulin kasi ako, I laid down the predicate ika nga. Sinasabi ko muna ‘yan para hindi ako masabit. Hindi ako basta-bastang nagbibitaw ng salita. Sinabi ko if your life is in danger, then in arresting a person, kayong mga ayaw sumunod sa batas, you converge,” he stressed.
The 75-year old Duterte who has been known to make threats in public said he knows the law only too well as he had been a prosecutor for a long time before he became mayor of Davao City.
“Kayong mga abogado tingnan ninyo ‘yung batas ninyo. Eh hindi naman ako nagyayabang, matagal akong prosecutor sa Davao City. Naging trial — hindi ko naman pinagyayabang, ‘yan naman talaga ang totoo — eight years I was doing trial work,” he said.
“Ganun ang batas. The police must overcome kung inaresto niya. Dadalhin niya sa istasyon or whatever, mag-raid sila tapos magbarilan, eh siyempre self-defense ‘yan pati performance of duty,” he said.
“At the start of the statement sinabi ko, pagka lumaban kayo, inaresto kayo, at inilagay mo sa delikado ang buhay ng pulis, o talagang bubunot ka ng baril o hampasin mo ang pulis ng bato, ‘pag tinamaan sa ulo patay, sabihin mo — barilin mo, patayin mo. ‘Yan ang batas.”
He also criticized media wich had spread misinformation about his statements, and gave the wrong color to his statements.
“Dito lang kayo sa… PTV-4 ba talaga ‘to? Dito lang kayo makinig ng totoo.”
“Noong mayor ganun ako. Kung ano ‘yan, ang kulay niyan pula, pula ‘yan. Huwag mong gawaing green kasi mas marami ka pa — bakit green ‘yan? So mag-imbento ka naman ng ibang kulay,” he said.
The Phlippine leader said he would not change his style of telling it straight as it is.
“I do not have the duty to lie to you. Bakit ako magsinungaling? Kung ganun ang sitwasyon, sabihin ko sa inyo, ‘yan,” he said.
“Wala akong obligasyon na magsinungaling sa inyo, wala. Bakit ko papahirapan ang sarili ko? Magtanong ako sa inyo. Just to lie to you to make you happy?”
“Well, I govern properly and right. If it makes you happy, then you smile. If not, you criticize me.
Walang pigil, social media, lahat kayo,” he added.
