Duterte to CHR: ‘Be careful’ assessing deaths linked to drugs, communist insurgency

MANILA—President Rodrigo Duterte told the Commission on Human Rights to be careful in assessing deaths related to the country's war against drugs and the communist insurgency.

Duterte reiterated that law enforcers practise maximum tolerance, but they also are trained to kill to defend themselves.

"Trained itong pulis pati itong military, ipalaban mo diyan sa mga NPA na...Walang training 'yang panay ambush pati...Karamihan sa kanila car bomb. Binobomba nila pagdaan ng ano, diyan sila mahusay. Pero magtaka ka kung bakit maraming patay sa kanila, eh talaga eh itong pulis ko at army, they are trained to kill. Ano pang purpose ng kanilang pagkasundalo at pagkapulis, among other duties?," he said during a recorded public address aired late Monday.

(The military and the police are trained, and you make them fight against the NPA who do not have any training. They are just good in ambush and car bombs. They attack passing vehicles, that's what they're good at. But if you wonder why many of them die, they will really die because the police and the military are trained to kill. What's the purpose of being policemen and soldiers, among other duties?)

"They are not allowed to kill a man kneeling down o nakatalikod. Bawal talaga 'yan. At ako mismo, sinasabi ko, bawal. Yung nakaharap na may dalang baril, itong mga durugista, eh ilaban mo sa pulis, ilaban mo sa military na may training, talagang mamamatay 'yan, sigurado. And sabihin mo na sinadya na patay, hindi 'yan. Lumaban talaga 'yan," Duterte added.

(They are not allowed to kill a man kneeling down or whose back is turned. That's not allowed. I myself say that's not allowed. Those who are facing them with guns, these drug suspects, if you make them fight against the police and the military, they will surely die. But you say they are intentionally killed, they are not. They resisted.)

Duterte also said some of the deaths are not related to drug operations, as some of the drug suspects or alleged communist rebels are intentionally killed by drug lords or their fellow rebels to protect themselves from getting caught.

"'Yung iba pinapatay talaga ng mga drug lords tapos 'pag minsan maghuli, para maputol 'yung kuwento hindi umabot sa kanila, sila na mismo ang papatay sa tao nila. Lalo na kung may naamoy na ang gobyerno, tapos titingnan nila 'pag mahuli itong taong ito, sila na 'yung mga drug lords ang papatay tapos tayo, kami ang pagbintangan. 'Yan ang totoo diyan," he said.

(Other they are killed by the drug lords when they are arrested so they won't get discovered. They will be the ones to kill the drug suspects, especially if they know that the government already knows about their operation. They will see if their couriers will get arrested, and they will kill these couriers and blame it on the government. That's the truth.)

"So be careful in your, especially the Human Rights, be careful in your evaluation and assessment, because hindi lang ang gobyerno ang marunong pumatay. 'Yung mga NPA pati 'yung mga drug lords, marunong pumatay 'yan. 'Yan ang problema diyan," Duterte added.

(So be careful, especially the Human Rights, be careful in your evaluation and assessment, because it is not only the government who knows how to kill. The NPA and the drug lords, they also know how to kill. That's the problem.)

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