This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 40, November
13-19, 2005
Rody’s War
DAVAO CITY (davaotoday.com)
– Mayor Rodrigo Duterte likes to regale his guests with the story of how, one
time, using a piece of firewood, he crushed the hands of a man accused of
stealing hand-held radios. The problem with the story, as the mayor himself
would tell his visitors, is that he had actually punished the wrong man. Duterte laughed out loud
when he narrated this story one evening last week, during dinner with friends
and journalists. He used the story to drive home the point that he hates thieves
and criminals with passion. The irony was apparently
lost on him. To his critics, however, this story illustrates perfectly what is
so wrong with Duterte’s obsession with ridding the city of criminals using what
has been described by the mayor’s critics as criminal methods. Because he
sidesteps due process, they say, he is bound to make mistakes sooner or later. Indeed, according to the
Coalition Against Summary Executions (CASE), an alliance of human rights and
child advocates in the city, 12 of the 469 murdered by death squads or hired
killers here from 1998 until 2005 had been cases of mistaken identity. This year has seen the
worst so far in the killings that have made this city infamous, with 147 summary
executions. CASE said the murders have become even more brazen. “They shoot
pointblank in broad daylight, even in busy spots like the entrance of a downtown
shopping mall,” said Ricmar Mapalo, the group’s spokesman. But many of his
supporters, mainly law enforcers, businessmen and members of the city’s
political and economic elite, laud the man and his crime-fighting method. They
say of all the mayors this city has had, nobody quite changed it the way Duterte
did. Duterte is one leader “who can implement the law,” said Leo Avila, chair of
the Committee on Ethics and Good Governance at the City Council. “My hatred for criminals –
that’s what changed Davao City,” Duterte told the editors of davaotoday.com last
week. In that interview, Duterte made no bones about his views of criminals, and
offered a fascinating – if at times disturbing – insight into the mind of one of
the most controversial and popular political leaders in the Philippines. Excerpts:
Some say there have been cases of mistaken identity in these killings? I remember the case of
(human-rights worker Rashid) Manahan. He had received death threats in Cotabato.
When he was killed in my city, they say I ordered the killing. Putang ina! Why
would I kill a poor guy who was just working for an NGO? If you want, I’ll line
up all the human-rights commissioners and kill them all. How safe is Davao City? They make your blood
boil. What has changed about
you since you first ran for mayor, My hatred of criminals –
that’s what changed Davao. If I have not improved the lot of the poor folk there
at Boulevard, it’s simply because of the economy. But what actually, to me, made
the difference is at least the criminals here are afraid of the law. Here, if
you are a police officer and you steal from a civilian, putang ina, I’m going to
kill you. God, I will! I’ll M16 you in public. You know, governance or
whatever in public office -- it's all about sense and sensibility. That is all
that is needed. I am proud that I walk the extra mile to see to it that this
city is peaceful. We’d like to make this
clear: Each time you say you’d kill somebody…. But isn’t that a form
of taking the law into your own hands? Doesn't that put you in
danger of being implicated if Each time I threaten them,
there’s always a qualification: “You terrorists, putang ina, I’m going to kill
you!” As you see, they end up dead. (Laughs.) What happens if you’re
no longer mayor? The fear by the criminals could be of you, not the law. What
happens if you’re no longer there and the person who replaces you is not as
strong as --- Were you cited in
contempt? Why can’t you just
prosecute these criminals, bring them to justice? Were you frustrated
with the legal system? The judicial process is
too complicated? Let’s put it this way. I
am not about ready to admit any particular killing here. (Laughs.) I can go to
prison. What I’m trying to say is that I’m trying hard to make everybody
realize, both the civilians and criminals, that if you commit a serious crime,
you'll just have to pay for it. Maybe inside the prison or maybe lose your funds
or lose your life. How do you know that
your threats against criminals are working? Have you given up on
due process? But what about the
children? Many of those killed were minors. © 2005 Bulatlat
■
Alipato Publications Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte says his hatred for criminals
changed his city.
If they have the facts, why don’t they file a case in
court or come to me and show to me? Why can’t they do that?
They say you don’t touch the big fish.
Puta... I don’t hit the big fish? Hesusmaryosep! I know I cannot get
(industrialist Jesus) Ayala and (banana magnate Antonio) Floirendo because they
don’t use drugs!
Very safe, I would say, except for the terrorists. But the common crimes like
snatching… That’s petty. I cannot kill a human being just because he stole small
items. That’s too expensive a payment. I deal with kidnappers, especially people
who kill, or people who rape and kill.
I’m like that. It’s my human nature. And you know human nature is part of your
character. That’s my persona.
since you were a prosecutor?
I hate to mention this because I’m not trying to make a big issue out of it. I
grew up with politics because my father was governor. So practically I have a
good training about how to deal with problems of people.
That is all talk! (Laughs.)
No, it's a form of a threat, instilling fear in the minds of criminals. So, if
you are a journalist, if you are an ordinary citizen, why should you be afraid?
Unless you believe your mayor is a candidate for a mental asylum. (Laughs.) Why
would you be afraid each time I say, “You criminals are sons of bitches! I’m
going to kill all of you!”? If you’re afraid, then you must be a criminal.
something happens to these people after you say those things?
You know, guilt is personal. Remember that it's a principle of criminal law.
Guilt is personal. There is no guilt by association just because I'm the mayor
talking here nonsense.
Putang ina, even if I’m asleep, wake me up and I’ll deal with it. (Laughs.) I’m
never afraid of criminals, even when I was not yet a mayor. When I was a
prosecutor, I kicked a man in the chest inside the court room.
Of course! (Laughs.) I was a prosecutor and I was in jail. (Laughs.)
Some of them are dead. The others, we’re still going to kill them.
I began as a prosecutor, right? So take it from me. When I was a prosecutor for
10 years, this thing called guilt – that’s always an 80-20 proposition and all
you have to do is to create doubt. And because of stringent regulations about
right to counsel, information, due process and everything – these are so
limited. What can you get from a terrorist during 36 hours of detention? Let’s
be frank. What can you get?
It’s not just that. It’s the law itself. Because government is supposed to be
powerful it owns everything but there's a barrier and that barrier is the Bill
of Rights. It protects the citizens from abusive excesses, inordinate exercise
of power. The problem is, they abuse it, so the criminals are in and out of
prison. That’s what I hate about it.
Look around. Compare it to other places. How could you not see it? Go around the
city…
No, I should not waive anything there in the Bill of Rights. I think that we
should observe it strictly. But if you do not leave room for me to exercise my
discretion of human rights or if you do not give me that space, if you box me in
one corner, you do not leave me an elbow room to give you, to afford you that
right, in the end, you will lose everything... maybe including your life.
(Stammers.) That’s a collateral… social problem. It becomes a collater…
collateral itself. Its not a question of crime anymore. That’s what makes things
difficult. Well, that is another problem. I cannot answer that.
Davaotoday.com/Posted by Bulatlat