Philippines' Duterte says he personally killed people to show cops how it’s done
Duterte said he had no fear of being removed from power or assassinated because of opposition to the rising death toll in his anti-drugs campaign
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he personally killed suspected criminals when he was mayor of a southern city to set an example for police.
Duterte made the comments in a speech late on Monday night to businessmen as he discussed his campaign to eradicate illegal drugs, that has seen police and unknown assailants kill thousands of people since he became president on June 30.
Watch: Duterte says he personally killed people
In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys (police) that if I can do it why can’t you
After speaking about police killing suspects during the current crime war, Duterte said he led similar efforts when he was mayor of Davao, the major southern city that he ruled for most of the previous 20 years.
“In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys (police) that if I can do it why can’t you,” Duterte said in his speech at the presidential palace.
“And I’d go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around, and I would just patrol the streets, looking for trouble also. I was really looking for a confrontation so I could kill.”
Late on Wednesday,the Philippine justice secretary said Duterte often exaggerated about the killings of criminals he supposedly carried out to send a chilling warning to lawbreakers. Vitaliano Aguirre II said that Duterte may have been resorting to hyperbole when he suggested that he used to go around Davao looking for criminals to kill.