Duterte raises ‘red flags’ in Quezon, Batangas over spread of illegal drugs
Credit to Author: E.J. DIONNE JR.| Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2019 06:47:41 +0000
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has raised “red flags” in Lucena City in Quezon province and in Batangas over the proliferation of illegal drugs despite government efforts to fight it.
“Talagang sabi ko pupunta ako ng (I said I will go to) Batangas. Please do not be offended, tutal para sa bayan man ‘to at wala ho akong tinutukoy na tao dito (this is for the country and I am not mentioning anyone). I talk in general terms,” Duterte said in a speech during a campaign rally in Batangas City on Wednesday night.
“Apparently, Lucena and Batangas right now appear to be in the — with a red flag in the map of sa (the) drug scene,” Duterte said.
Duterte vowed to hunt down those involved in the narcotics trade and criminality during his term following a mandate to preserve and protect the Filipino nation against these threats.
“Do not f*** with drugs because if you destroy my country while I am there sitting, p***** i** mo papatayin talaga kita (son of a b*tch I will really kill you),” the President said.
“Diyan ako galit. Kaya sabi ko talagang pupunta ako dito. Naka-red flag kayo eh. Lucena pati Batangas. Marami. Kaya bukas mag-harvest na naman tayo. Eh kaligaya ko na lang pumatay ng p***** i**** kriminal (This really makes me angry so I said I will really go here. Lucena and Batangas have been red flagged. Tomorrow we will start to harvest. It’s my happiness to kill these son of the b*tch criminals),” he said.
Last month, Duterte released a list of 46 government officials involved in the drug trade, including two mayors from Batangas (Lemery town Mayor Eulalio Mendoza Alilio and Ibaan town Mayor Juan Toreja) and the mayor of Lucena City (Mayor Roderick Alcala).
Alcala denied the allegation, which he said was politically motivated.
The Department of Interior and Local Government has filed administrative cases against the officials.
Duterte, a former city mayor, beat his more moneyed rivals and won the race to Malacañang in 2016, promising to eradicate crime and solve his country’s drug menace in three to six months.
He later sought a six-month extension for his campaign, saying he was shocked by the magnitude of the problem when he became president.
Human rights watchdogs at home and abroad say most of the fatalities in the government’s anti-narcotic drive are extrajudicial killings committed by policemen, which the Duterte administration has vehemently denied.
Last week, the President vowed to rid the country of illegal drugs before his term ended in 2022. CATHERINE S. VALENTE
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