The mask is coming down. Last week he threatened the parliament in case the deputies would not approve a constitution he wants, now he wants to undone the remnants of legal process.

 

Duterte warns Sereno: Get out of my way or it’s martial law

Update

MANILA — In what could be a showdown between the two co-equal branches of government, President Duterte slammed Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, on Tuesday, for insinuating that his decision to name “narco-judges” could lead to a constitutional crisis.

 

Speaking before the military in Cagayan de Oro City, the sharp-tongued Chief Executive also raised the possibility of him declaring martial law to pursue his administration’s violent drug war.

“I’m giving you a warning. Don’t create a crisis because I will order everybody in the executive department not to honor you,” the President said in a firm voice, referring to Sereno.

“Please do not, you say, create a constitutional issue. There will be. Don’t order me, I’m telling you. I hope you are listening,” he said. “You want me to be frank? You’re interfering (with my job).”

“Please, don’t order me. I’m not a fool. If this continues, (that) you’re tying to stop me, I might lose my cool. Or would you rather I declare martial law?” the President warned.

Mr. Duterte scoffed at the Chief Justice’s order to the judges mentioned in the President’s “narco list” not to yield to authorities until the issuance of a warrant of arrest against them.

Hinting that he would rather circumvent the tedious judicial process than allow drug suspects to go scot-free, he said the Chief Justice “must be joking” when she said that arrest warrants should first be issued against the judges.

The President also appeared to mix up the issue regarding the circumstances of some 600,000 drug suspects who had recently turned themselves in to the police.

Mr. Duterte was in Cagayan de Oro City to visit the Philippine Army’s 4th Infantry Division troops, especially those who were injured and killed during encounters with the New People’s Army (NPA) recently.

The President was reacting to Sereno’s statement that law enforcers must first secure warrants of arrest from judges before judges allow themselves to be “physically accountable to any police officer” as she warned of a constitutional crisis.

“You order me? I will not follow you,” the President said.

Mr. Duterte clarified that he did not order the police to arrest those judges on the list but had called on magistrates to show up at the Supreme Court, just as he enjoined police officers allegedly involved in the illegal drugs business to report to PNP Director General Ronald dela Rosa.

“What did I say? Judges (who are on the list) should report to the Supreme Court. I did not order them to be arrested,” he said, adding “I never accused anybody except to read their names.”

What he did when he read out the names of judges, police officers and local government officials who have connections with the illegal drug trade was “not an accusatorial utterance but rather it was in consonance with my duty as the President of the Philippines…”

He said securing a warrant of arrest against every Filipino involved in illegal drugs would take time even as crimes would surely be committed in the streets.

The President’s statements was a complete turnaround of his announcement on Monday night, when he said he would write back to Sereno to explain why he had to include the names of seven judges in the list of suspected drug lords or their coddlers.

“Susulatan ko rin. Out of respect also to the Supreme Court, I will answer (I will write back…),” Mr. Duterte said in a press conference in Davao City on Monday night.

The President had planned to tell the Chief Justice that his words were not “accusatorial.”

“It is not a criminal information. It’s just my word against the others because I have a duty to tell the public,” Mr. Duterte said.

The President said his intention in naming the judges, public officials and police officers involved in illegal drugs, was for people to know who were behind the problem.  SFM

This is an important piece. It shows how Duterte is encroaching further on the division of power. He has already warned that he would sack Parliament if the deputies would not pass a new constitution to his liking. Now he is actively undermining the legal branch of the state.

 

It fits the overall picture that he wants to rehabilitate dictator Marcos, the father of his running mate. see: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/803889/duterte-gives-go-ahead-for-marcos-burial-at-libingan

 

Sereno questions Duterte list

President told: SC has sole power to discipline judges

WARNING of a potential constitutional crisis, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Monday questioned allegations that seven judges had been involved in illegal drugs.

In a letter to President Duterte, Sereno said only the Supreme Court was authorized to discipline members of the judiciary.

She cautioned judges named by Mr. Duterte in a rambling speech televised nationwide shortly after midnight on Sunday, against submitting themselves to investigation by the Philippine National Police, as he had directed.

 

She said the judges could become vulnerable to extrajudicial executions as “collateral damage.”

Apart from reminding Mr. Duterte of the separation of powers in the Constitution, the letter also sought to cast doubt on the integrity of the intelligence report on the alleged involvement of the judges named, pointing out that one was already dead, another dismissed for incompetence, and the rest had either retired or had little to do with drug cases.

In his usual expletive-laced remarks, the President ticked off names from a list of 159 officials purportedly linked to illegal drugs, including the seven judges, and said they should present themselves to the police investigators or be “hunted down.”

“It would matter greatly to our sense of constitutional order if we were given the chance to administer the appropriate preventive measures without the complications of a premature public announcement,” Sereno said in the four-page letter that likewise stressed support for  Mr. Duterte’s campaign to rid the country of illegal drugs and a “common desire to see a country that is governed by the rule of law.”

Discipline of judges

“As the sole entity charged with the discipline of judges, the Supreme Court decides when judges are excused from bench duty and report to it,” she said.

“Moreover, because of the extrajudicial killings, which you had spoken out against, perpetrated by persons and groups that remain unidentified, our judges may have been rendered vulnerable and veritable targets for any of those persons and groups who may consider judges as acceptable collateral damage in the war on drugs.”

She said because of this threat and the court’s lack of capability, it had asked the PNP to authorize judges to carry firearms to protect themselves.

Safeguarding judges

She urged the President to allow the judges he had named to continue bearing arms until formal criminal charges had been brought against them.

Sereno said 26 judges had been assassinated since 1999, many of them victims of crime lords.

“To safeguard the role of the judges as the protector of constitutional rights, I would caution them very strongly against ‘surrendering’ or making themselves physically accountable to any police officer in the absence of any duly issued warrant of arrest that is pending.”

Sereno raised questions about the judges named on the list: Lorenda Mupas of Dasmariñas, Cavite province, was dismissed in 2007 for gross ignorance of the law and misconduct; Roberto Navidad of Calbayog, Samar province, was killed on Jan. 14 at the age of 69; Rene Gonzales of Iloilo City retired on  June 20; Exequil Dagala of Dapa-Socorro, Surigao province, Adriano Savillo of Iloilo City, Domingo Casiple of Kalibo, Aklan province, and Domingo Casiple have no jurisdiction over drug cases, just like Gonzales; and Antonio Reyes of Baguio City presides over designated cases in a multisala court.

“It would be helpful to know the specifics on how judges without jurisdiction over drug cases influence the drug trade in their localities,” Sereno said in her letter coursed through Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II.

Judge probed

Sereno disclosed the court was quietly investigating a judge for possible illegal drug activity, but she said he  was not on the Duterte list.

“The court is aware that a good reputation is the primary badge of credibility and the only legacy that many of our judges can leave behind,” she said.

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo defended the President’s move.

“The announcement is to the judges’ advantage as it will give them the opportunity to clear their names through the media rather than when cases are formally filed against them which will give them a short time to file their counteraffidavits, and preclude from discussing their defense in public because it will become subjudice,” Panelo said. With a report from Leila B. Salaverria

 

Interestingly, the list does not include anyone from Davao del Sur, South Cotabato etc. it seems that the officials in Duterte's backyard are all exempt as they are allied with him. He goes after some of the Ampatuan clan, indicating an end to his old alliance with this killer clan. In general, he targets in the Muslim areas of Mindanao.

 

I have no time to match the municipalities indicated with election results. This might be an interesting effort. From personal observation I can confirm that drug dealing is doing well in the Duterte area of eastern Mindanao.

 

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/803636/duterte-names-politicians-judges-law-enforcers-involved-in-illegal-drugs

Rody names politicians, judges, cops allegedly into illegal drugs

Updated @ 1:20 p.m. to include names of policemen, other officials

Originally posted @ Aug 7, 2016 @ 02:51

 

President Rodrigo Duterte early Sunday named politicians, members of the judiciary and law enforcers who he said were involved in illegal drugs.

Duterte’s list includes mayors, congressmen, judges, police and the military.

LUZON

Incumbent Luzon mayors

Reynaldo Flores, Naquilian, La Union

Dante Garcia, Tubao, La Union

Martin de Guzman, Bauang, La Union

Marjorie April Salazar, Lasam, Cagayan

Goto Violago, San Rafael, Bulacan

Marino Morales, Mabalacat, Pampanga

Felix Castillo, Langiden, Abra

Former mayors

Eufronio Derigel, Agoo, La Union

Jesus Celeste, Bolinao, Pangasinan

Jose “Pepe” Miranda, Santiago City, Isabela

Vicente Amante, San Pablo City, Laguna

Ryan Dolor, Bauan, Batangas

Former vice mayor

Edgardo Trinidad, El Nido, Palawan

VISAYAS

Mayors

Alex Sentina, Calinog, Iloilo

Julius Ronald Pacificador, Hamtic, Antique

Jed Mabilog, Iloilo City

Wilfredo Bietbeta, Carles, Iloilo

Marcelo Malones, Maasin, Iloilo

Hector Ong, Laoang, Northern Samar

Rolando Espinosa, Albuera, Leyte

Beda Cañamaque, Basay, Negros Oriental

Former mayors

Michael Rama, Cebu City

Madeleine Ong, Laoang, Northern Samar

Francis Ansing Amboy, Maasin Iloilo

Fralz Sabalones, San Fernando, Cebu,

Antonio Pesina of Iloilo City

Erwin Tongtong Plagata, Iloilo City

Congressmen

Ex-congressman JC Rahman Nava, Guimaras

Congressman Party-list Jeffrey Celis

MINDANAO

Abubakar Abdul Karim Afdal, Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur

Gamar Ahay Janihim, Sirawai, Zamboanga del Norte

David Navarro, Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur

Bobby Alingan, Kolambugan, Davao del Norte

Yusufa Munder Bobong Ramin, Iligan City Lanao del Norte

Jessie Aguilera, Alegria Surigao del Norte

Fahad Salik, Marawi City

Muhammad Ali Abinal

Jamal Dadayan, Buadipuso-Buntong, Lanao del Sur

Sabdullah Macabago; Saguiaran, Lanao del Sur

Muslim Aline Macadatu, Lumbatan, Lanao del Sur

Rasul Sangki, Datu Saudi-Ampatuan, Maguindanao

Montaser Sabal, Talitay, Maguindanao

Vicman Montawal, Datu Montawal, Maguindanao

Samsudin Dimaukom, Datu-Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao

Norodin Salasal, Datu Salibo, Maguindanao

Ex-mayor Benahar Tulawie, Talipao Sulu

Reynaldo Parojinog alias Andong

Nova Princess Parojinog Chavez

Omar Solitario Ali, Marawi City

Vice Mayor Abdul Wahab Sabal, Talitay, Maguindanao

Otto Montawal, Datu Montawal, Maguindanao

Nida Dimagkon, Datu-Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao

Arafat Salic, Marawi City

Rasmiyah Macabago, Saguiaran, Lanao del Sur

Congressman Guillermo Romarate Jr., second district, Surigao del Norte

Ex-board member Ricardo “Ardot” Parojinog

Active and retired law enforcement officers:

Ret. Police Inspector Rolando Batulayan

Police Superintendent Maristelo Manalo, PNP-CIDG

PCI Roberto Palisoc, Station 7 MPD

Ret. Superintendent Ciceron Ada

PCI Eric Buenaventura, Navotas

PO2 Geraldine Bautista Manuel, PNP PRO2 Health Service

SPO3 Ronald Calap, Isabela PPO

POC Rodel Samoledo; Lalio Police Station

PO3 Cecilio Domingo, Nueva Ecija CIDT

PO2 Ryan Mendoza, Tarlac Police Station

Jeffrey Serafica, Butuan PPO

PO1 Normal Adarlo, Puerto Galera NPS

Mark Canete, RSRPSB MIMAROPA

PO1 Mark Christian Catalina, PNP Camarines Norte

PO2 Alan Carpio, PCP-8 Pasay City

PO3 Eric Lazo, QCPD Station 6

PO3 Alexander Macabeo, PCP 3 Paranaque City

PO3 Johnny Mahilum, QCPD Station 6 Batasan

PO2 Celito Melendrez, Binangonan Police Station

Ret. Gen. Vicente Loot; Ret. General Valerio, Santa Barbara Iloilo

General Bernardo Diaz, Region 6

General Idio, RTC of Calbayog City

Ret. Police Superintendent Floro, Antique PNP and city director

Police Superintendent Kashmir Disomangcop, former COP of Iloilo Base Commander

Police Superintendent Delia Paz, Chief RDIDM

Police Superintendent Genepa, RIU-6 Intelligence

Police Superintendent Ipil Duenas

Superintendent Condag; Police Superintendent Eugenio Malic, PNP Maritime Group

PNP Lamsis, former chief Antique anti-drug

Police Superintendent Gomboc

Police Superintendent Lebin

PCI Rio Maymay

PSI Kenneth Militar

PSI Donasco

Police Inspector De Jose, CSOG PNP Region 6

Police Inspector Duarte, former PCOP of Arevalo, Iloilo

PIC Vicente Vicente, chief of police-Banate

P/Insp. Romeo Santander – Former chief intel Cebu

PO2 Michael Cortez – Barile Police Station

SPO1 Jen dela Victoria – PS5 Cebu CPO

SPO1 Onel Nabua – Barile Police Station

PO2 Jomar Ibanez – Lapu-Lapu Police Station

PO3 Ryan Martus Kiamco – Cebu Provincial Office

PCI Ibrahim Jabiran – Zamboanga CPO

PCI Perfecto Abrasaldo Awi Jr. – Misamis Oriental

P/Insp. Roy Montes – Iligan PRO

P/Supt. Ricardo Gando Pulot – COP Quezon Bukidnon

P/Insp. Martin Plaza – former Panabo chief intel

PO1 Pierre Dizo – Zamboanga del Sur

PO3 Omar Juani – Zamboanga City Public Safety

Rommel Mansul – PRO9

PO3 Daryl Page – Tabasan Municipal Station

SPO1 Totong Joe Valdez – 9th RNG

SPO4 Rodrigo Ramos – Bukidnon PRO

SPO1 Reynaldo dela Victoria – CDO

SPO3 Emilio Mendoza – Lozaria PP5 Iligan City

Marlo Espinosa – Bukidnon

SPO3 Richie Mat – CIDG Mati Davao Oriental

SPO3 Rosell Iliviera – CIDG Tagum Davao del Norte

PO3 Jessie Balabag – Region 11

PO3 Filomeno Soronia – Digos Police Station

PO1 Glean Alicarte – PRO 12

PO1 Philip Pantarolia – Tacurong City Police Office

SPO1 Gerry dela Rosa – South Cotabato PPO

PO3 Bebot Ruiz – General Santos City PO

PO3 Estelito Solanio – Malongon, MPS Sarangani

PO1 Jerebel Ocsio – PRO RMN

SPO1 Ernesto Billones – NCR

JS1 Lito Montemayor – Roxas District Jail Aparri

PO1 Vicente Reynaldo Celis – NCR

PG Drexel Saet – MIMAROPA

SPO1 Felix Tubil – Region 3

SPO3 Nicolas Ponce Angeles – Region 3

SPO2 Rod Erseni – Marinduque BFP

FO1 Reynaldo Valencia – Claveria Police Station

SSgt. Vic dela Cruz – MIMAROPA

B/Gen. Leoncio Daniega – NCR

SPO3 Gerry Mendoza – NCR

Reymante Dayto – Region 5

Reymar Dayto – Region 5

Renato Zamora – Region 6

J1 Alan Manatad – Region 7

SPO3 Christie Cielo Tingad – Region 7

RSAD Casimiro Castro – CAFGU 38IB 6ID ARMM

RSAD Pfc. Philip Miro – 40IB 6ID ARMM

Cpl. Cusinan Lopez – 52IB ARMM

Pfc. Mamadali Ipad – 64IB 6ID

Yasin Abolgalib

JO1 Alfredo Ogacho

FO1 Nicolas Ponce Ablaca

FO1 Ricardo Ibanez

Marine Cpl. Alfrenz Gurias Abedin

Jimmy Manlangit – Region 12

Judges:

Judge Mupas of Dasmariñas, Cavite
Judge Reyes, Baguio City
Judge Savilo, RTC Branch 13, Iloilo City
Judge Casiple, Kalibo, Aklan
Judge Rene Gonzales, MTC, (unknown province)
Judge Natividad, RTC Calbayog City
Judge Ezekiel Dagala, MTC, Dapa Siargao

During his speech in Davao City, the President ordered policemen and soldiers assigned to the alleged narco-politicians to report back to their superiors within 24 hours.

He also ordered the policemen he identified as involved in the drug trade to report to the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame within 24 hours.

For the judges allegedly involved in illegal drugs, he ordered them to report to the Supreme Court within 24 hours as well. TVJ/rga

THE KILL LIST

 

The Inquirer keeps a kill list which is updated. Cutting and pasting the blog makes no sense as due to the high number of victims the list grows almost by the hour or is updated for earlier killings.

 

Here is the link:

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/794598/kill-list-drugs-duterte

You always can fly from Hanoi to HCMC. Or: Split the trip with stops in Hue and Hoi An/Da Nang. From Da Nang you could also fly to HCMC.

I dont think that there is real choice between the two big cities. Both are are a very nice combination of SEA and European culture. The people are more civilized than in Thailand and in Cambodia anyhow.

From HCMC it is a 6 hrs bus ride to PP. Unless you want to see PP you might like to take the route to the Mekong delta and on to the border. The HCMC-PP ride is boring as is most of the PP-SHV ride. Plus MUCH less truck traffic on the Kep-SHV route as compared to the PP-SHV route. Not sure why you want the beach in SHV when Vietnam has better places on offer.

As for the SHV - Thai border section of your trip: There is an 8.30 AM bus from SHV direct to the border checkpoint. The bus is ok. It is better than the vans who have a habit of bad crashes. The 8.30 service is the only one direct to the check point. It saves you headaches and money at Koh Kong bus station. Not a nice place and definitely not nice people at that bus station.

In sum, I suggest to spend more time in Vietnam at the expense of Cambodia. Dont forget the Vietnamese food - makes me hungry right now.

I think there is a different quality. Here is an elected president publicly inciting murder and making a mockery out of the legal process. Corrupt cops, cops dealing drugs, cops working as contract killers - no need to go as far as Brazil. Almost a standard set of services offered in any city in [....]. I leave that last part free for local residents in the metropolitan area or the provinces.

What I mean is that thoroughly rotten systems usually try to maintain a semblance of legality and legitimacy. Duterte is a porn star of violence and he officiates over dismantling the little legal process that the Phils have. It is turning ever more into a cut down jungle with tribal groups fighting while somehow holding up a flag.

News from a criminal organization:

Duterte to pardon cops in drug killings

MANILA, Philippines - Law enforcers who may be convicted of criminal offenses in the discharge of their anti-drug related duties are assured of presidential pardon.

“(The) President can grant pardon, conditional or absolute; or grant amnesty with the concurrence of Congress. Gagamitin ko ’yan. Maniwala kayo (I’ll use it, believe me),” Duterte said at a fellowship dinner with his batchmates at the San Beda College of Law Sunday.

He said such assurance would encourage policemen to perform their tasks without having to worry about getting prosecuted for killing suspected drug traffickers and pushers.

Human rights groups have expressed alarm over the spate of killings of suspected drug peddlers in what authorities called anti-drug operations. Bodies of alleged drug dealers have been turning up across the country, especially in Metro Manila, in the past weeks – or from the time Duterte’s election victory was certain.

The Chief Executive, who did not mince words about his readiness to kill drug pushers and hardened criminals, said he is prepared to pardon 10 to 15 policemen convicted for criminal offense in the performance of their duties.

Duterte, who was a provincial prosecutor before he became a politician, said he would produce “pre-signed” copies of pardon papers so they could readily be made available if needed. An individual granted absolute pardon regains his civil rights in full, he said.

He said critics of his tough approach to fighting the drug menace should realize that if pushed against the wall, he would not hesitate to use his power to pardon policemen involved in the war against drugs. He said he would also grant pardon to himself after his term.

“After I leave Malacañang, I will have this signed: Pardon is hereby granted to Rodrigo Duterte. Signed Rodrigo Duterte,” he said, adding he cannot even be made to serve time in prison because of his age.

Duterte reiterated that he has long asked drug lords and suspects to stop their illegal activities or face the consequences. He stressed it is his duty to protect the nation from the ill effects of drugs.

Amid calls for him to heed due process, Duterte said the individuals he had publicly shamed can always go to the courts and seek redress.

“Why will I give you (due) process? I’m the President, hindi ako nagpo-proseso. I just name you publicly because it is my sworn duty to protect the nation and tell you what the problem is and who are the people behind it,” he said.

Duterte reiterated he is prepared to “stake the presidency, the honor that goes with it and my life.”

“Hindi ako aatras dito. Hindi ako matatakot n’yang mga human rights (I will not back down. I’m not afraid of human rights),” he said. “I will not allow the country to be thrown to the dogs. I will not allow my country to be destroyed.”

As if taking a cue from the President, incoming speaker Pantaleon Alvarez cautioned his colleagues against pushing for an inquiry into the spate of drug-related killings.

He said lawmakers should attend to their task of lawmaking instead of launching investigations.

He said he does not see that an inquiry would produce any positive result in terms of remedial legislation being recommended.

“For if in the course of an investigation, the evidence should point to extrajudicial killing – that’s already illegal. So, what new law may be passed in relation to that?” he asked.

At most, Alvarez said lawmakers could only recommend the filing of charges before the appropriate government entities like the Department of Justice (DOJ), which would have to determine probable cause.

“Congress will be better off leaving these matters to the DOJ and attending to important priority measures like the 2017 national budget,” he said.

He warned his colleagues that they might be suspected of protecting drug lords if they inquire into drug-relating killings or slow down the Duterte administration’s anti-illegal drugs drive.

“I don’t want any insinuation that the drug lords are using members of Congress to investigate the police so the latter would go slow on their campaign against illegal drugs,” he said.

Peter Lim to NBI

After being confronted by Duterte himself for his alleged drug links, Cebu-based businessman Peter Lim has been summoned by the National Bureau of Investigation.

NBI director Dante Gierran revealed this yesterday after a meeting at the DOJ with Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II.

In an ambush interview, the NBI chief revealed to reporters that Lim was actually set to appear at their headquarters in Manila yesterday but failed to do so because he was not feeling well. Gierran said Lim is expected to appear before the NBI probably this week.

In a separate interview, Aguirre said the NBI’s parallel probe on Lim stemmed from the businessman’s meeting with President Duterte, who recently announced that a certain “Peter Lim” was among the biggest illegal drug operators in the country.

He said the bureau has been specifically tasked to “verify” if the businessman and the person tagged as head of the drug triad in the country – and who is being protected by the so-called “narco-generals” – are one and the same person.

“Since Peter Lim came forward to talk to the President and clear himself, then the order there is really for Peter Lim – together with the agencies – to prove that he has nothing to do with drugs. But if there is involvement, then the police agencies and the NBI will file the necessary case against Peter Lim for preliminary investigation,” he explained.

“The police agencies and the NBI are doing what needs to be done – to establish identity, to establish culpability. If evidence for culpability is established, then we are going to investigate after they file the case before the DOJ,” Aguirre said.

The DOJ chief revealed that Duterte has tapped him “to use all the resources of the department to go after drug lords, and file cases of graft and corruption and heinous crimes.”

Asked if he would issue an immigration lookout bulletin order against the businessman to monitor his possible flight, Aguirre said there is a need first for “preliminary findings on his alleged involvement in drugs.”

“As of now, we have not received any negative finding yet,” he clarified. Aguirre also pointed out that the name Peter Lim, as shown by Bureau of Immigration records, is so common that there are 4,000 people in the country with the same name.

Aside from Lim, Duterte has named two other drug traffickers in the country, Peter Co and Herbert Colangco, both serving sentence at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

In their meeting last Friday night at the regional office of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Davao City, the President threatened to kill Lim if it would be proven that he is among the country’s top drug lords.

Lim told Duterte, whom he supported in the presidential election, that he had nothing to do with illegal drugs.

Unfazed

Sen. Leila de Lima, for her part, said she is unfazed by the vicious attacks against her in social media that she believes were triggered by her push to have the Senate investigate the rising incidents of summary executions of drug suspects.

The senator described the posts on the Internet as the “black or dark side of social media.”

“And I’m practically defenseless against these rabid attacks. My only defense is a clear conscience and my fidelity to the Constitution and the law,” De Lima said in a text message.

“But if they think I will be cowed or intimidated, they’re grossly mistaken,” she said.

Various videos of her have gone viral in social media sites, including a blurry one purportedly of her in a compromising position.

De Lima, a former justice secretary and chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights, said she does not intend to waste time and dignify the posts by finding out who are behind them.

“I’m just leaving those up to God,” she said.

De Lima earlier filed a resolution calling for an investigation into the rising incidents of unexplained killings of suspected criminals but was told that it would have to be discussed in a caucus before the measure could be acted upon by the Senate leadership.

Her resolution met stiff opposition from Sens. Panfilo Lacson and Vicente Sotto III, who both said such an inquiry would be premature.

Lacson said there are complaints that would warrant a Senate probe, which could just be used as a fishing expedition. – With Paolo Romero, Evelyn Macairan, Edu Punay, Jess Diaz

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/07/19/1604381/duterte-pardon-cops-drug-killings

it is a fact that Duterte did and still does business with the Ampatuan clan. He has no problems to promote their legal representative. This criminals committed the largest massacres against journalists in modern Asia history.

The divisions between Muslim and Christian crime clans are organized along business lines in Mindanao. Religion plays little role. It is also wrong to assume that the kidnapping business is left entirely to criminals without uniforms.

The problem for these business interests right now is that they need to re-negotiate the fees the president's family/associates are to receive. Smaller exponents are encouraged to pool their donations so that a sizable sum accumulates worthy of presidential consideration.

In other words, he is going through the entire administration making sure that he gets his cut. I spoke to some friends, D. voters, who are already disillusioned.

I still dont get it. On what grounds do some make a distinction between the criminal Duterte and other criminals. The myth that Davao is a safe city is false. Be on the wrong side of any of Duterte's business interests and you will be feeding the worms.

Underage prostitutes are frequent as are other not so nice aspects of his model city.

Some confused under- or non-reporting with safety from crime. This kind of silence is/was the trademark of dictators.

I just did the HCMC airport transfer by bus, before I had done Hanoi.

Prices: HCMC 20 K Hainoi 9 K - i understand they are upgrading their bus and charge a few cents more.

The Hanoi trip took 45-50 minutes to cover the long distance. HCMC was just 20 min at night tough.

In general, I tend to vote for Hanoi but that is just by a small margin. Both cities are much nicer than BKK imho. People addicted to BKK's mall-culture will have a hard time.

You can use public transport in Southern Thailand as a foreigner (looking white) and have no problems. You can't do that west of Zamboanga. The authorities will stop you from doing so.

PLUS you better dont do it south of a line Molave - Sindangan. Even Pagadian is bad.

Unfortunately, the entire Rio Grande area also needs to be added to that list plus the area south of the Isulan - Cotabato highway.

That covers a pretty nasty and extensive stretch of land.

Worse: As the Davao attacks showed - the list is incomplete and raids go far beyond.

No idea if there is a statistics on chopped of white heads Thailand vs Phils. or, being more positive: white foreigners dies in captivity; or, just held hostage and released after paying some minor sums.

Comparing Manila with BKK: You wont get robbed in Central BKK, be it by criminals in or without uniform.

Kidnapping foreign business in Pampanga and surroundings (mostly Koreans) is a favorite past-time of filipino criminals. How many foreign businessmen have been kidnapped or their families shot in Thailand?

Finally, Duterte makes the Thai junta look like Sunday school boys.

The Philippines are pretty lawless, thoroughly corrupt, and health-wise an epic mess. That does not mean that are not livable spots and nice people. The overall picture is, however, the view down an unflushed toilet.

Taken this together it is non-sense that Thailand is more dangerous.

I just got here, again

Flight was on time. At the passport control the grumpy official wanted to see my onward ticket out of Vietnam. I had none. He was really unhappy. Showed him my departure ticket from another airport in 2 weeks. it wont do the trick. Called another official, I showed the guy my Cambodian 1-year visa and that I had a outbound flight from another airport. Luckily the man agreed that the bus to Phnom Penh would do.

Now I do not know if I was just lucky to get in without an outbound ticket or unlucky because of the official? Difficult to say. When I entered Vietnam by land nobody asked a question. Any input? I m eager to learn.

Left the terminal and asked for the bus. All said last one gone. BS I told them. Saw the bus waiting and off we were 20 minutes to district 1 for less than 1 USD. Nice aircon service, unbeatable. Tickets are sold on the bus (20K dong) and the seller makes sure they tell you when to get off the bus (assuming you know where you want to go). Mine spoke some English. Good service.

I had booked Airnb as I arrived very late = early. People were waiting and friendly. Very clean and centrally located.

Now I am vacuum cleaning some food places and I cant complain

I should add that I was very popular in the bar area last nite when I walked by to my place. I should add my only interest was a bowl of soup and not the friendly attention Pattaya stile. Ok, some motorbike taxi guys tried to sell something, including themselves, but a silent smile was enough to keep them away.

In sum, all very nice - no hassles in that night spot despite many claims to the contrary. This is current info. Time for food )

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-20/philippine-church-alarmed-by-police-killings-after-election/7527850

Rodrigo Duterte: Philippine Catholic Church alarmed by rise in police killings after election

Posted yesterday at 8:57pm

Photo: The Church's statement comes after Mr Duterte's call to police to kill drug criminals. (AFP: Manman Dejeto)

Related Story: Philippines' Duterte does not endorse summary killings: spokesman

Related Story: Philippine police killings raise fears over Duterte's rule

Related Story: Philippines gets taste of Duterte anti-crime war

Map: Philippines

Catholic Church leaders in the Philippines have expressed alarm at a sharp rise in police killings of suspected criminals since the election of firebrand President Rodrigo Duterte, who has vowed a bloody war on crime.

The influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines also denounced signs of vigilantism and the offering of bounties for criminals, following the election on May 9 of Mr Duterte, who ran on an anti-crime campaign.

"We are disturbed by an increasing number of reports that suspected drug-peddlers, pushers and others ... have been shot, supposedly because they resist arrest," Archbishop Socrates Villegas, the head of the conference, said in a statement.

He was responding to national police figures showing that 29 drug suspects were shot dead between May 9 and June 15, compared to 39 killed in the previous four months of this year.

The most recent figure does not include eight drug suspects shot dead by police over the past weekend in different parts of the country.

"It is equally disturbing that vigilantism seems to be on the rise," the statement said, citing cases where bodies have been found with signs labelling them as criminals.

Church condemns offer of payments for killings

The bishops also condemned the practice of at least one city mayor who has offered large payments to policemen who kill drug suspects.

"It is never morally permissible to receive reward money to kill another," the statement added.

Their condemnation flies in the face of Mr Duterte's call to police and even civilians to kill drug criminals.

Mr Duterte has previously been linked to vigilante death squads who killed about 1,000 people when he was longtime mayor of the southern city of Davao.

He has vowed to kill tens of thousands of criminals after he takes office on June 30.

The President-elect has often attacked the Catholic Church, which counts over 80 per cent of Filipinos as followers and was instrumental in the toppling of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

Mr Duterte has previously labelled Pope Francis as "a son of a whore" and branded the church as a hypocritical institution.

Although he has not yet taken office, a police spokesman previously said that Mr Duterte's remarks were a possible "motivation" for law-enforcers to crack down on illegal drugs.

AFP

Ghost of Dictator Marcos Hangs Over Philippines' Duterte

Rodrigo Duterte won the Philippine presidency in a blaze of hard-line rhetoric -- an outsider who will stamp out crime and corruption. But his power base is tied to the nation’s oldest political camps, including that of ex-dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Duterte’s PDP-Laban party won only three of the 297 seats in the House of Representatives while party president Koko Pimentel is its lone member in the 24-seat Senate. That made PDP-Laban what Filipinos call a “motorcycle party.” Yet within days of Duterte’s May 9 win, politicians from all sides rushed to join him.

That’s how it goes in Philippine politics. Lawmakers did the same in 2010, abandoning Gloria Arroyo’s party in favor of then newly-elected president Benigno Aquino’s Liberal Party.

“Real political parties don’t exist because what we have are caricatures,” said Ramon Casiple, executive director at the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform in Manila. “Parties don’t get to decide anything. Personalities and political families make the decisions, in the same way that it was Duterte himself, not any party, who chose that he should run for president.”

For an overview of the election, click here.

While family dynasties have been the foundation of politics across much of post-colonial Asia, the recent victories of outsiders in India, Indonesia and the Philippines may be shifting the political spectrum. Nowhere is that more apparent than the Philippines, where the mass defections mean there is little restraining influence in congress from the opposition.

That makes it easier for Duterte to carry out his ambitious plans, including reinstating the death penalty, cracking down on smuggling, easing foreign ownership limits and shifting to a federal government system. It could also mean he has enough support in Congress to avoid the kinds of pitfalls some predecessors faced, including impeachment attempts for graft or violating the constitution.

‘Radical Proposals’

“The president has some radical proposals, some out-of-the-box solutions so it’s very important that the leadership in both houses can convince the majority to support these measures,” said Pimentel, who’s gunning for the Senate leadership.

Those who aren’t aligned with the new leader can be shut out. In a separate election in May for vice president, Aquino-backed Leni Robredo won by a hair against Marcos’ only son, Bongbong Marcos. Yet Duterte has not offered Robredo a cabinet post, saying he doesn’t want to offend his friend Marcos.

Part of the reason for the country’s revolving politics is the constitution adopted after the 1986 revolt that ousted Ferdinand Marcos. The charter encouraged numerous parties and limited the presidency to one six-year term in an effort to prevent another dictator.

Minority Report

Every president since Corazon Aquino three decades ago has been elected with less than 50 percent of the vote. Duterte got 39 percent, even less than Aquino’s 42 percent in 2010.

The effect of the constitution has been to encourage politicians to switch allegiance to whoever wins and holds the purse strings. Those who don’t risk being marginalized both in the new government and in Congress, and that means losing money for projects in their hometown.

“If you’re with the president’s party, you get more funds for your constituents,” said Congressman Teddy Baguilat, who’s been with the Liberal Party since 2001. “If you fail, your district will suffer and so will your political mileage.”

Baguilat said he’d like to support the minority opposition but he needs to ask party chiefs if that would be OK because they all agreed last month, including Aquino, to allow members to align themselves with 71-year-old Duterte in a bid to stem an exodus from the party.

Super Majority

Aquino’s party won more than a third of lower house seats. Yet Duterte already has enough backing to give him a super majority, or two thirds of the lower house, weeks before he takes office on June 30, House Speaker in-waiting Pantaleon Alvarez said.

Behind the parliamentary merry-go-round are the powerful oligarchs and political dynasties that have dominated the nation since independence.

Benigno Aquino is the son of Corazon, the wife of Liberal leader Benigno Aquino Jr., who was assassinated in Manila airport during the Marcos dictatorship. Their party was founded in 1946 by former President Manuel Roxas, grandfather of Mar Roxas who was defeated by Duterte in the election.

Connected Families

Traditional supporters of dynastic politicians include tycoons Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. and Manuel Villar, who have lined up to back Duterte.

Almost 40 percent of lawmakers have links to politically connected families, compared with about 6 percent in the U.S. and 10 percent in Argentina, according to a 2012 study in the Philippine Political Science Journal.

Cojuangco, chairman of San Miguel Corp., the nation’s largest company, ran for president in 1992 and lost to Fidel Ramos, who was backed by Corazon Aquino. A former associate of Marcos and the uncle of outgoing president Aquino, Cojuangco founded the Nationalist People’s Coalition.

Villar is head of the Nacionalista Party, which allied itself with Bongbong Marcos’ party in 2009. Bongbong backed Villar’s presidential bid in 2010, when he lost to Aquino. The former Senate president is owner of property company Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc.

On the day Villar signed a pact to back Duterte, his son Mark Villar agreed to head the Department of Public Works and Highways in the new government.

‘Extremely Machiavellian’

“Villar was an extremely Machiavellian choice for Duterte who may need to have maximum support in Congress if he faces impeachment,” said Richard Javad Heydarian, an assistant political science professor at the De La Salle University in Manila.

At least seven former Philippine presidents have faced impeachment attempts, including the last three in office.

Duterte told reporters last month he chose Mark Villar for his organizational skills. Villar told Bloomberg TV Philippines on May 25 his family will not benefit from his cabinet post. Duterte has also said he will not be influenced by big business interests.

“There are two things that catapulted him to the presidency: The frustration toward the current administration and the hope that he will deliver on his promise of change,” said outgoing lawmaker Neri Colmenares. “We hope that he will be independent and work for the people. Otherwise, we have a big problem.”

Hawker, thanks for confirming my assumption. You dont have better data at hand. So why are other statements more laughable than you own? Yup nice try and even nicer score

Anyhow, I think we agree that the Phils are relatively more dangerous than Thailand while Thailand has more victims in absolute numbers.

Believe it or not: Trains are on time. I took the HCMC train to Danang. It was 5 minutes ahead of schedule after a 17 or 18 hrs (?) ride. I had window seat 2nd class. Aircon worked. In Hue I failed to get a ticket for the days I considered so I had to take a bus which was ok.

Danang. If you have little to carry: leave the station and head to the main road. At the main street cross and wait 50 m from the intersection for the Hoi An bus. Take it and get out at the museum. See the collection and return to the bus stop and continue to Hoi An. Visit My Son very early in the morning and escape the buses and Chinese hordes arriving at around 8-9 AM. Trust me, go early or do not go at all. Museum opens 6 AM and you can get good info to understand the place

Hue: Eat, eat, eat, eat - if you still can walk: visit the old town.

Hanoi: Spend more time than planned. Great place. Forget about that pottery village on the river. Total crap, fine dust makes you choke. Most of the stuff is imported chinese junk or locally produced factory material. Cheaper in a 99cents store at home.

However: The national museum shop has fine ceramics, hand made and good price, also some nice weaving. If you do not like to see the museum (the 'real' shop is in the main building on the first floor) talk to the museum shop lady next to ticket sales. She will get you to the shop without paying a ticket. Reasonable people there. Other sales spots are in the Sofitel hotel shop (peng mak) and at Smile coffee shop at 69 Yen Ninh Street, Ba dinh district - google map helps you, it is a walking distance from the old city.

Here is a link: https://www.facebook.com/hienvanceramics/photos/a.584599295049417.1073741854.287490424760307/579966665512680/?type=3&theater

The ceramics are great. I bought from the coffee shop and the museum shop. Both had a limited supply and selection and selections were NOT identical. The ceramics were not the cheapest but best value I saw. In the old quarter most ceramics were pretty much junk, overpriced and ugly.

I made one mistake: I shared some pieces as gifts. My reward was that now I need to bring more..... = not enough for myself.

These souvenirs are a good way to promote local artisan production and local shops or the very nice museum.

hawker: please share with us your data and it sources. You seem to have found some solid grounds to dismiss other statements and claim superior knowledge.

Seriously, from my experience Manila, Cebu, CdO and some other places feel/are distinctly more dangerous than Thailand. A comparison of Angeles with Pattaya does not tell us much about both countries but is relevant for foreigners.

Both countries have a really bad south but in Thailand foreigners dont get targeted as such like they are in the Phils. No kidnappings and head-choppings in 5-Star Thai resorts. Again, most of us do not hang out in 300 USD a nite places.

Pick-pocketing seems to be more rampant in phils as are thefts by room visitors (not talking of hookers).

What makes me think that Phils might be more risky is perhaps the ability of communication. The people speak English and interact more than in Thailand. So we are able to discern signals that we might miss in Thailand due to our lack of language and familiarity with culture.

Maybe it is getting interesting:

20 crime lords give P50M each to kill-Duterte fund—source

Top drug and crime lords are raising P1 billion for the heads of incoming-President Rodrigo Duterte, his anointed Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, a senator and another government official.

A source told INQUIRER.net that some 20 crime bosses, mostly drug lords inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), were contributing to the kill-Duterte fund.

According to the source, earlier reports of a P50-million reward on Duterte and incoming PNP chief, Chief Supt. Ronald dela Rosa “are not true but bigger.”

“Not only one person will pay, but people from different organizations,” said the source, who had intimate knowledge of the drug trade.

“There are probably 20” main players, the source added. And each main player pledged P50 million for the pot money, bringing the entire fund to about P1 billion.

Dela Rosa earlier said that drug lords inside NBP offered P10 million for his and Duterte’s heads. But there were no takers so the reward was raised to P50-million.

The reward from the drug lords came after Duterte offered rewards for every drug lord or pusher killed. The President-elect promised P5 million for every dead drug lord, P3 million if arrested alive and P50,000 each from small-time pushers.

Dela Rosa issued a warning to criminals: “We will crush you. We will bury you.”

According to the incoming administration, 75 percent of the illegal drugs sold in the Philippines were made in the National Bilibid Prisons (NBP). This prompted incoming Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre to vow that his war against illegal drugs would start at the NBP.

“Nasisiraan na yung mga tao sa loob. Hindi kasi nila alam kung seseryosohin ni Digong yung sinabi nyang papatayin lahat ng drug lords doon,” the source said.

Not only Duterte

Apart from Duterte and Dela Rosa, also included in the kill-list were former Justice Secretary now Senator Leila de Lima and Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Ricardo Rainier Cruz III.

De Lima led the first of the series of raids inside Bilibid where authorities discovered some inmates living in “suite-like” kubols with appliances, hot tubs, gadgets and more.

Because of the first raid, 19 high-profile inmates, mostly drug lords, were transferred to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) while Building 14, a highly secured facility inside NBP, was being constructed.

After the construction, the 19 inmates were moved back to the NBP and detained at Building 14, isolated from other inmates.

Cruz, on the other hand, initiated “Oplan Galugad,” a regular raid conducted inside the NBP to seize contraband and prohibited items. More than 30 “galugads” have been conducted. He also ordered the dismantling of kubols that previously housed high-profile inmates.

Last February, Cruz dismantled a two-storey structure occupied by one inmate. It was renovated to house elderly inmates.

The source said two of the 20 who pledged to the pot are among the “Bilibid 19” currently detained at Building 14, while two others are chemists and Filipinos who belong to the same organization./rga

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/790373/20-crime-lords-give-p50m-each-to-kill-duterte-fund-source#ixzz4BROGdBg4
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Any comparison between Thailand and Phils when it comes to foreign deaths, and especially violent ones, needs to take into account the numbers of visitors to and expats in Thailand as opposed to the Phils. Once that is done everybody will understand that the Phils do a pretty good job at disposing off foreigners. No need to hide behind Thailand

and there is more:

Duterte to execute 50 convicts per month

Once the Congress restores the death penalty, President-elect Rodrigo Duterte wants 50 convicts to be executed every month by hanging, according to Quezon Representative-elect Danilo Suarez.

“He feels that if at least 50 drug lords and other convicts are hanged every month, their execution will deter crime,” Suarez said yesterday during the Usaping Balita forum at the Serye Café in Quezon City.

The Quezon representative-elect added that Duterte revealed his plans during a meeting with lawmakers on Tuesday led by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.

During the meeting with 19 members of the House of Representatives, Duterte also expressed his desire for the death penalty to be restored within six months or before the year ends, describing the reinstatement of capital punishment as an urgent priority.

At the same meeting, Suarez recalled Camarines Sur Representative Rolando Andaya suggesting to set aside funds for the rehabilitation of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) death chamber in Muntinlupa where the lethal injection executions were carried out.

However, Suarez noted that Duterte declined the suggestion because he preferred to hang convicts to death instead of giving them a lethal injection.

Kabataan Representative Terry Ridon – another guest at the Usaping Balita forum – commented that the president-elect would not be seeing executions during the early part of his term due to legal process.

“The offenders have to be convicted. Then there is the mandatory review of their conviction. Knowing our justice system, it will take time, maybe years,” Ridon explained.

He also noted that if the Congress would be able to restore the death penalty, the punishment would only apply to future offenders and not to the convicts currently serving time in prison.

Ridon – a member of the Makabayan bloc – also promised that his group and the Catholic Church would oppose the restoration of the death penalty in the Philippines.

“I predict a showdown on this issue inside and outside Congress, what with the Catholic Church against the death penalty,” he said.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/06/10/1591974/full-text-un-chief-on-dutertes-killing-statements

FULL TEXT: UN chief on Duterte's 'killing' statements

(philstar.com) - June 10, 2016 - 8:04am

MANILA, Philippines — Below is the complete transcription of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon at the UN Correspondents Association Reception in New York City released Thursday night.

In his statement, Ban said he is "extremely disturbed" by President-elect Rodrigo Duterte's apparent endorsement of extrajudicial killing, saying it is a breach of fundamental rights and freedoms.

---

It gives me great pleasure to attend this annual reception and to receive a copy of the UNCA Directory for one final time as Secretary-General of the United Nations.

When I am relaxing with my grandchildren next year and they ask me, “What did you do when you were Secretary-General?” I can show them the photos in this directory and tell them: “I had to answer tough questions from all these people.”

Tomorrow, I will take your questions at a press stakeout, and I know some of them will be hard to answer.

But I am looking forward to it, because I have always valued the work you do. Put simply, we couldn’t succeed without you.

I thank you for all you have done, and once more, I pledge my support for you and all your colleagues.

I will continue to defend the rights of journalists and to do everything possible, publicly and privately, to ensure that journalists have the freedom to work. I am pleased to say that our efforts behind the scenes to free detained journalists have had some success, although we cannot speak publicly about specific cases.

I am extremely disturbed by recent remarks by the President-elect of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte. I unequivocally condemn his apparent endorsement of extrajudicial killing, which is illegal and a breach of fundamental rights and freedoms. Such comments are of particular concern in light of on-going impunity for serious cases of violence against journalists in the Philippines.I will also continue to stand up for the rights of journalists and their defenders to be represented here at the United Nations.

I have expressed my disappointment that the Non-Governmental Organization Committee voted to deny the Committee to Protect Journalists consultative status with the Economic and Social Council.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today, I want to thank two UNCA members in particular.

Edie Lederer has marked 50 years of service with the Associated Press. Congratulations, Edie!

You are a true pioneer, and I hope and expect that you will hold my successor to account, just as you have done for me! I also thank Lou Charbonneau, who is leaving Reuters to become the new UN Director of Human Rights Watch.

Lou, I am sure you will bring your sharp reporter’s eye to this new task.

And I have presents for each of you.

I agree with what you say and also the google results. Manila is awful and not a good place to take a walk at night. The positive feedback from foreigners might be deceiving. Expats often stay within small circles and are not much integrated. Even businessmen are regularly stuck in a small social environment. The DDS does no target foreigners as far as I know. The killings take often the form of a cull of the social disadvantaged as outlined above. Thus, for an expat the murder of streets kids and beggars actually improves well-being while at the same time adds to the murder rate.

Another aspect that can explain the paradox is that DDS killings are nothing else but murder. So making the city safe for the privileged is done by turning the city into a center for assassinations.

Unreported murders include, by the way, people connected to local businesses that compete with Mr. D's campaign financiers.

Numbeo is not too reliable in general. It heavily depends on individual and uncontrolled input. I often found their cost of living info sketchy and at times outright wrong.

As I said earlier, the assessment that Davao "is" the murder capital is that of PNP. They should have some sort of track keeping even if a lot goes unreported.

I do not dispute your point of few, I just think we are as foreigners in a weak position to get a fuller picture. Many foreigners are happy about less break-ins and less chances for a hold-up and turn a blind eye to the killings. It was in Thailand the same in 2003.

Today's news on vigilantes:

Vigilante killings alarm CHR, church execs

ILOILO CITY—The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in the Western Visayas region and the Catholic Church have raised concerns over what appears to be cases of summary executions following the repeated threats of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte that he would order the killing of drug lords and criminals.

While it remains unclear as to who were behind the killings, the CHR fears that more vigilante-type killings will happen.

“Killing, even of criminal offenders, is a crime, unless [the death penalty] is legalized. Vigilantism will spur human rights violations even if the intentions could be well,” David Bermudo, the agency’s regional director, told the Inquirer.

Five men believed to be criminals or had records of criminal involvement had been shot and killed in different provinces in Negros and Western Visayas from Thursday to Saturday. Two in Iloilo City and Leganes town in Iloilo province were found with their hands tied.

Due process

Bermudo said due process should be given those suspected to be involved in crimes. “There should be presumption of innocence. But now, there appears to be presumption of guilt even if one is suspected of [committing] a crime,” he said.

Even those found guilty of committing any crime should not be killed, he added.

The CHR is also concerned about the rising criminality and wants an end to the proliferation of illegal drugs, Bermudo said. “But it should not be through [summary killings].”

Right to life

Msgr. Meliton Oso, social action director of the Archdioces of Jaro, said the killings “whether these are being done by people in government or vigilantes, violate the basic right of persons to life.”

These could have been encouraged by “what we have heard from the coming dispensation,” he said.

President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, during a speech in his thanksgiving party in Davao City, said he had raised the bounty for killing drug lords from P3 million to P5 million.

He said he would offer P2 million as a reward for every slain illegal drug “distributor” and P50,000 for small-time drug peddlers.

Duterte also urged citizens to arrest drug traffickers in their communities and shoot them if they resisted arrest and put people’s lives in danger.

Oso, who has been conducting teachings and interaction with prisoners, said he was sad that many seemed to approve of the summary killings of criminals.

“I also want to solve the illegal drug problem because of the harm that it has brought to our youth and society. But let it be done by the law [and with] due process,” he said.

“God does not wish the death of a sinful man. He wishes for their conversion,” Oso said, citing Biblical teachings.

Bermudo called on law enforcement agencies to investigate and resolve the killings. “We can only enforce the law in accordance with the law. It should not be through illegal [means],” he said.

Duterte and the Ampatuan clan. Before the massacre, Duterte had turned over a neighborhood in Davao to the clan where they could block roads and walk around with illegal weapons in order to secure their Davao compound. Law and order Duterte stile.

Now a clan representative is part of the administration :

Duterte choice of press chief questioned by Ampatuan victims’ kin