[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’ALL BARK, NO BITE’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
MANILA – Some lawmakers on Thursday downplayed President Rodrigo Duterte’s threat to kill human rights advocates, saying that he didn’t really follow through on such remarks.
“Personally, ‘yung mga statements po kasi ni President Duterte, medyo nasanay na ako na mahilig lang siya sa unang manindak,” Aangat Tayo party-list representative Harlin Neil Abayon III said in a forum in Quezon City on Thursday.
“Style of leadership niya po ‘yun na labanan talaga head on ‘yung mga critics niya pero, from my experience, he doesn’t really follow through all the time,” he added.
Manila Teachers party-list representative Virgilio Lacson said Duterte’s threat was nothing but rhetoric.
“Rhetorics lang ni Presidente ito, he did not mean it,” Lacson said.
“Nagbibigay lang siya ng stern warning doon sa mga problem natin especially sa drugs,” he added.
Lacson, however, underscored the importance of protecting human rights amid this issue.
“Siyempre lahat naman tayo, we want all the human rights to be respected,” Lacson said.
Duterte on Monday said he would also kill human rights workers for being a factor should the drug menace worsen.
“Sabi ng human rights pinapatay ko raw. Sabi ko, ‘Sige na maghinto tayo, paramihin natin. Para ‘pag panahon ng harvest time mas marami na tuloy mamatay, isali ko na kayo kasi kayo ang nagpalaki eh,'” Duterte said.
“Well, I said maybe whether you supported me or not, I am your President and I will never allow my country to be thrown to the dogs,” he added.
Abayon this only showed how committed Duterte was in his campaign against illegal drugs.
“Maybe it’s his way of showing na he will really fight anyone involved in drugs regardless of their position,” Abayon said.
Malacañang had earlier said that Duterte’s remark should not be taken as a threat, as it could have been said out of frustration.
“There is no threat at all. As you have been covering the President, you know his frustrations with working in government as well as with, you know, how being President,” Presidential Communications Office assistant secretary Kris Ablan said at a Palace briefing on Wednesday.
“So, I think his statement last Monday was just another expression of his frustration on the difficulty on running the country,” he added. (GMA News)
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
