Philippines

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Sun, 2018-06-24 00:27

jerrym

Philippines

President Duterte has promised to give free guns to members of the public if they use them to fight drugs and crime. What could go wrong with that?

THE Philippines has vowed to give free guns to members of the public — so long as they promise to use them to fight drugs and crime. The Sun reports, President Rodrigo Duterte said he’s considering arming 42,000 community leaders, known as barangay captains, after consulting with the police and intelligence agency.

Martin Dino, the interior department undersecretary responsible for barangays, said handguns would be provided for free, or private purchases subsidised, but only for those not involved in illegal drugs. Mr Dino said: “The condition is that the barangay captain should fight drugs and crime. If he is conniving with criminals, he could be the one shot.”

Duterte has repeatedly said thousands of community officials were involved in the trade, without elaborating. But last week he vowed barangays will be provided with the same legal protection as soldiers or police, and they “will never go to jail” if they shot suspected criminals in the performance of their duty.

The president’s signature war on crime and drugs has killed thousands of people and caused international alarm. Activists and Duterte’s political opponents say the campaign is overwhelmingly targeting users and small-time peddlers in poor communities and accuse police of systematically executing suspects, often based on weak intelligence.

https://www.news.com.au/world/asia/philippines-president-rodrigo-duterte...

Sun, 2018-06-24 00:44

jerrym

At least than 12,000 people, mostly poor, have been killed in Duterte's killing spree by December 2017 and quite possibly more than 20,000 have been killed in Duterte's killing spree by February 2018.

Duterte, who stormed to power last year promising to kill 100,000 drug dealers and criminals within six months of coming to power, said police had resumed anti-drug operations following a “clamour from the public.”

Human rights groups have expressed alarm at the move, calling it a war on the poor which may constitute crimes against humanity. Human Rights Watch (HWR) estimate more than 12,000 victims have been killed in campaign that it has linked to numerous extrajudicial executions by police and their agents. It argues most of those killed are from Manila’s slum areas and Duterte’s war on drugs targets some of the country’s most vulnerable people. ...

But activist group Rise Up for Life and for Rights, said the government was obsessed with instilling fear among communities, rather than tackling the root causes of drug addiction.

A spokeswoman for the group said: “Arming the barangay captains is another foolish approach that would create power play among local officers on the ground.” She added that communities had seen enough “tyrannical and fascist attacks” during Duterte’s war on drugs.

https://www.news.com.au/world/asia/rodrigo-duterte-drug-war-police-react...

Sun, 2018-06-24 00:47

jerrym

One Filipino Senator claims that the number killed by Duterte's drug war is more than 20,000.

An opposition senator in the Philippines said the death toll in the government's war on drugs has now surpassed 20,000 since President Rodrigo Dutertecame to office in 2016. In a speech before the Philippine Senate on Wednesday, Antonio Trillanes said the Duterte administration's own report shows 3,967 "drug personalities" have been killed after allegedly resisting arrest during police operations between July 1, 2016 and November 27, 2017. Another 16,355 homicide cases - from July 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017 - have been classified as "under investigation".

UPFRONT: Is Duterte's drug war undermining the rule of law? (12:32)

The report also said 118,287 drug personalities have been arrested, and 1,308,078 others surrendered to authorities during the same period.

All figures were listed as "accomplishments" in the official document titled Fighting Illegal Drugs: #RealNumber

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/senator-rodrigo-duterte-drug-war-...

Sun, 2018-06-24 02:29

bekayne

jerrym wrote:

President Duterte has promised to give free guns to members of the public if they use them to fight drugs and crime. What could go wrong with that?

THE Philippines has vowed to give free guns to members of the public — so long as they promise to use them to fight drugs and crime. The Sun reports, President Rodrigo Duterte said he’s considering arming 42,000 community leaders, known as barangay captains, after consulting with the police and intelligence agency.

Martin Dino, the interior department undersecretary responsible for barangays, said handguns would be provided for free, or private purchases subsidised, but only for those not involved in illegal drugs. Mr Dino said: “The condition is that the barangay captain should fight drugs and crime. If he is conniving with criminals, he could be the one shot.”

Duterte has repeatedly said thousands of community officials were involved in the trade, without elaborating. But last week he vowed barangays will be provided with the same legal protection as soldiers or police, and they “will never go to jail” if they shot suspected criminals in the performance of their duty.

The president’s signature war on crime and drugs has killed thousands of people and caused international alarm. Activists and Duterte’s political opponents say the campaign is overwhelmingly targeting users and small-time peddlers in poor communities and accuse police of systematically executing suspects, often based on weak intelligence.

https://www.news.com.au/world/asia/philippines-president-rodrigo-duterte...

Does that including shooting Duterte?

Sun, 2018-06-24 18:22

Mr. Magoo

How does Duterte feel about the U.S.?

That's really all we should judge him on. Has he had the courage to flip Trump the bird? If so, who cares if he hands out free handguns to anyone willing to murder a stoner?

Sun, 2018-06-24 18:56

NorthReport

http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Crime/Violent-crime/Murde...

Sun, 2018-06-24 18:57

NorthReport

https://worldjusticeproject.org/our-work/wjp-rule-law-index/wjp-open-gov...

Sun, 2018-06-24 18:59

NorthReport

https://worldjusticeproject.org/sites/default/files/documents/WJP_ROLI_2...

Sun, 2018-06-24 19:03

NorthReport

‘Philippines does not need call from 38 states on HR’
Read more at https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/06/24/1827407/philippines-does-n...

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/06/24/1827407/philippines-does-n...

Sun, 2018-06-24 19:07

#10

NorthReport

Maybe some lefties have commonality with Duterte, eh!

https://www.rappler.com/nation/205572-duterte-stupid-god-bible-story

Sun, 2019-05-12 17:20

#11

NorthReport

Mid-term polls seen boosting Duterte’s popular rule

Despite the criticisms, Duterte continues to enjoy high popularity ratings, with 79% of Filipinos satisfied with his performance, according to the latest survey by Social Weather Stations.Only 13% were dissatisfied and 8% undecided, according to the first-quarter nationwide poll.
“We have been convincing ourselves for the longest time that our politics is characterised by ideologies, but it started and remains to be mainly but a battle of personalities,” said Edmund Tayao, a local governance professor at the Ateneo School of Government.
The mid-term elections could be a crossroad for Philippine politics, Tayao said, noting that Duterte’s election in May 2016 was the start of an “experimental path” to implement systemic change.
Duterte, largely seen as an outsider in the Philippine political system, has definitely altered the landscape of politics and governance in the country with his tough-talking, no-nonsense style.
While many believe that some killings in his anti-drug war were not justified, majority still support the crackdown because their neighbourhoods feel safer after petty criminals and drug addicts are rounded up or killed, surveys showed.
Duterte has also taken on the business elites, penalising companies that fail to provide good service to the public.
One of the two main water providers was slapped with a huge fine in the wake of a supply shortage that left taps dry for weeks in Manila. He has also shut down the country’s premier tourist destination for a long overdue clean-up and rehabilitation that no other president has been able to accomplish.
“The choices we make (in Monday’s elections) will show if there can still be real change that we can hope to have in our politics and therefore have the kind of governance we deserve,” Tayao noted.
“To be a really systemic change however, it cannot just be a re-drawing of power relations between the centre and the periphery; it should essentially be changing the ‘rules of the game’,” he added.

https://www.gulf-times.com/story/631272/Mid-term-polls-seen-boosting-Duterte-s-popular-rul