He went to the Philippines electorate with threats to “butcher” criminals, that horrified his critics but helped turn him into an unlikely front runner in the polls.
Now the Philippines’ president-elect, Rodrigo Duterte is making good on his tough guy image.
The former lawyer has vowed to introduce executions by hanging. More alarming - he said he will order military snipers to kill suspected criminals as part of a ruthless law-and-order crackdown.
In his first press conference since winning the May 9 elections in a landslide, the tough-talking mayor of southern Davao city said late on Sunday security forces would be given “shoot-to-kill” orders and that citizens would learn to fear the law.
“I expect you to obey the laws so there will be no chaos. I will hit hard on drugs and I promise them [criminals] hell,” Duterte said in wide-ranging comments to reporters at a Davao hotel on his vision for the nation once he is sworn into office on June 30.
Duterte also vowed to roll out Davao law-and-order measures on a nationwide basis, including a 2am curfew on drinking in public places and a ban on children walking on the streets alone late at night. Smoking in restaurants and hotels will also be banned.
Duterte said a central part of his war on crime would be to bring back the death penalty, which was abolished under then-president Gloria Arroyo in 2006.
