DUWAG: Vice President Jejomar Binay is escalating the word war against his rival, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, saying only a coward would kill children or people "who are on their knees and whose hands are tied."

In a press statement, Binay said Duterte did not have the moral high ground to challenge him to a debate after the Davao mayor's alleged admission that he will not hesitate to kill minors.

"Ang mali ay mali. Killing the poor, including helpless children, can never be justified. It is morally wrong and un-Christian. Killing people who are kneeling down or with their hands tied behind their backs is not courage. It is an act of cowardice. Duwag lang ang pumapatay ng bata. Duwag lang ang pumapatay ng taong nakaluhod at nakatali ang mga kamay," he said.

He also criticized Duterte for denying that he "will not hesitate to kill minors."

Duterte was earlier quoted as saying that he will not hesitate to kill members of teenage gangs in Davao City. "If they offer resistance, I will not hesitate to kill them. I don’t care about minors," he is quoted as saying in the article "Teenagers Perish in Davao’s Killing Fields" by Carlos Conde.

The article was published by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism in 2002.

In his statement, Binay said the "killing of children" cannot be the subject of a debate.

"Isang cheap gimmick ang hamon mong debate. Ipinapakita lamang nito na wala ka nang maisip na isagot dahil totoo ang sinasabi ko: ikaw ay pumapatay ng mahihirap, hindi ng mayayaman. Ikaw ay pumapatay ng walang pakundangan, hindi ka kumikilala ng batas ng tao at batas ng Diyos," he said.

Duterte is currently the frontrunner in the presidential race, according to the latest ABS-CBN survey by Pulse Asia from March 29 to April 3. The survey showed at least 30% of voters picked Duterte for president if elections were held today while Senator Grace Poe dropped to second with 25%.

Binay and administration candidate Mar Roxas were statistically tied at third place with 20% and 19%, respectively, while Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago was at the bottom spot with 2% of the votes.

Duterte overtakes Poe, claims lead in ABS-CBN survey

On Tuesday, Binay challenged voters in Muntinlupa to make sure that Duterte will not win in the election this May.

Calling Duterte "mayabang" and "berdugo,” Binay said the poor will be the casualties of Duterte's campaign promise to rid the Philippines of criminality in three to six months.

"Si Duterte sa kayabangan, pinagmamalaki na 'Lulutasin ko ang kriminalidad.' Sa paanong paraan? Papatayin (niya) ang lahat ng mahihirap at kanyang pinagsususpetsahang nagkamali at di sumusunod sa batas." he said.

For Binay, doing so under a democracy would be "inhuman", "ungodly" and a "violation of human rights."

For his part, Duterte described Binay as "berdugo ng pera ng bayan," referring to corruption allegations against the vice president.