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Duterte defends killing of drug pushers, says they deserve death

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Kyodo News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/entertainment/12/16/duterte-sg-121616.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte delivers a speech at the start of a state dinner hosted by Singapore&#x27;s President Tony Tan at the Istana in Singapore, December 15, 2016. Wallace Woon, Reuters/Pool</div></figcaption></figure></div>SINGAPORE - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday again defended the killing of drug pushers, following a new controversy caused by his recent admission that he &quot;personally&quot; killed suspected criminals while serving as mayor of Davao City for 23 years.&quot;If you are into drugs and destroy our youth, the next generation after us, I would hate it and I will kill you. Simple as that,&quot; Duterte said to loud cheers while addressing thousands of Filipinos in Singapore amid a two-day state visit through Friday.&quot;Look, it can never be a crime to say that &#x27;I will kill you if you destroy my country&#x27;,&quot; Duterte said, adding, &quot;That is a very legitimate statement.&quot;The president&#x27;s remarks came after he told a business gathering Monday regarding the killing of suspects, &quot;In Davao, I used to do it personally, just to show to the (police) that if I can do it, why can&#x27;t you?&quot;&quot;I go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike, and I would just patrol the streets and looking for trouble also. I&#x27;m really looking around for an encounter so I can kill,&quot; he said.Sen. Leila de Lima, Duterte&#x27;s fiercest critic in the Philippine Congress, said the president could be impeached for his admission, while Vice President Leni Robredo said she is concerned he may be &quot;inspiring other people to take the law into their own hands.&quot;In a media interview later in the day, Duterte appeared to deny ordering extrajudicial killings, saying he has simply told police to hunt for drug suspects and &quot;arrest them if it&#x27;s possible, but if they offer a violent resistance...then kill them.&quot;Asked if he thinks that makes him fit for the job of president, he replied, &quot;Yes, of course. Given the problems of my country, yes. I have a four million drug addicts in my country, so that is not a joke.&quot;On Thursday, the United States said it is withholding a major aid package to the Philippines over human rights concerns and expressed concern over Duterte&#x27;s latest remarks.White House spokesman Josh Earnest called them &quot;deeply troubling&quot; and &quot;at odds with the Philippine government&#x27;s stated commitment to due process and rule of law.&quot;Duterte told reporters Friday that &quot;we will not go hungry without the American aid. We are not that desperate. We can always get it from China and Russia.&quot;He said it was &quot;fine&quot; for Washington to criticize him for extrajudicial killings when he was mayor of Davao, but it is now unacceptable. &quot;Don&#x27;t scold me as if I were your houseboy, because I am the president of the Philippines,&quot; he said.Recalling past U.S. misdeeds in the Philippines, he said, &quot;And you have gall to say to me, we will cut your aid? I told (U.S. President Barack) Obama, &#x27;Obama go to hell&#x27;.&quot;&quot;It&#x27;s high time we craft (an) independent foreign policy.&quot;==Kyodo

SINGAPORE - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday again defended the killing of drug pushers, following a new controversy caused by his recent admission that he "personally" killed suspected criminals while serving as mayor of Davao City for 23 years.

SINGAPORE - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday again defended the killing of drug pushers, following a new controversy caused by his recent admission that he "personally" killed suspected criminals while serving as mayor of Davao City for 23 years.