Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened corrupt government officials with the prospect of being thrown out of a helicopter mid-air, warning he has done it himself before and would have no qualms about doing it again.
The fiery-tempered former prosecutor said he once hurled a Chinese man suspected of rape and murder out of a helicopter.
“If you are corrupt, I will fetch you using a helicopter to Manila and I will throw you out. I have done this before, why would I not do it again?” Duterte said during a speech to victims of a typhoon on Tuesday.
Duterte’s latest threat comes just a few weeks after he admitted killing people during his 22 years as mayor of Davao City, claiming he sometimes riding a motorcycle looking for “encounters to kill”.
He said those killings were part of legitimate police operations, including a hostage incident. Some senators have warned Duterte he risks impeachment over his comments.
Duterte also said six people arrested last week during a seizure of more than half a tonne of methamphetamine, known locally as “shabu”, in the capital, were fortunate he was out of town.
“They were lucky I was not in Manila that time. If I had known there were that much shabu inside a house, I would definitely kill you,” he said. “Let’s not make any drama, I will personally gun you down if nobody else will do it.”
It was not immediately clear when or where the helicopter incident Duterte spoke of took place. His spokesman, Ernesto Abella, suggested it may not have actually happened.
“Let’s just say, ‘urban legend’,” Abella told reporters, without elaborating.
The United Nations’ top human rights envoy has called for an investigation into Duterte’s claims of killing people, to which Duterte last week responded by calling him “stupid”, an “idiot” and a “son of a bitch” who should go back to school.
(Reuters)
Duterte’s a Big Liar. He hasn’t killed anyone, he just talks big. He has NO PROOF of anything he has said about killing anyone.
You mean the media accuses him and he just respond in sarcasm?
I am from the Philippines and I never heard him denied allegations against him. He will just ride on the flow with sarcasm. He said: "It is up to the media to write some rubbishes. May it be good or bad to me, i don’t give a shit. I have the contract to the Filipino people of being their president and i will honor it. I will work hard as a public servant receiving money(salary). I will surely return the favor. My passion to serve is immeasurable".
Fyke Tizon Silvano My point being, nothing he has said, either killing people or throwing people out of a helicopter can be verified, and if it were, he could be held accountable for a crime. He can say all he wants, because he cannot prove any of it.
The Philippines has enormous corruption problems and strong measures must be taken to stop corruption. National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has started the cleanup, but it will be an uphill struggle. One problem is the overloaded and inefficient justice system in the Philippines. It can take more than ten years to get a case through the system. To achieve President Duterte goal of no poverty in the Philippines by 2040, changes in the legal process must be made, as he has done in the war on drugs. More than one million Filipinos has now been offered rehabilitation and then one million Families will get a better future. Crime rate has dropped dramatically in the areas cleaned up. Everyone has benefited of the war on drugs. The war on corruption will bring even better results. Let us hope the NBI can significantly reduce corruption and the Filipinos actively support the NBI by reporting corruption. We will see vigilantes and rebel groups participating in the corruption cleanup. This is unfortunate, but the NBI has no possibility to take on this massive cleanup alone.
Strip them naked and drop them where hungry wild animals need food. Save the fuss, money, and space for funeral and graves.
India should follow suit with its corrupt officials, rapists, thieves and thugs.