|
Monday, July 07, 2003
Mayor denies giving orders to 'death squad'
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO -- Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is not a bit worried that police are about to investigate his alleged links with the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS), a vigilante group behind the series of summary killings in the city.
In his television program "Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa" on Sunday, Duterte said there is no truth to rumors that the group is acting on his orders.
He said previous investigations of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) and even the Regional Police Office showed no evidence whatsoever linking him to the so-called death squad.
"Unsa pa may angle-angle ana (Are there angles here)? It's not my fault that whenever I give specific warnings against these criminals then pagkaraan ng ilang araw ay mayroong namamatay (after a few days, somebody gets killed). Time and again I said that there are no state-sponsored killings here nor state-tolerated ones," Duterte said.
City police chief Sr. Supt. Conrado Laza earlier said they did not find any proof that Duterte is behind the killings of the crime suspects or convicts in the city.
Laza, however, said they would continue their investigation on Duterte's alleged links to the group, especially with the spate of killings that occurred in the city starting last month.
When informed of the police's plan, Duterte said, "Aw, di hulaton na lang nato ang ilang imbestigasyon ug apilon na lang nilang hangtud sa December karong tuiga para usa na lang. Sigurado man gyud nga naa pay mangamatay ana. Tutal sa ato-a lang man gihapon ginapasangil ang mga patay." (I'll just wait for the results. It's best if their investigations will include those who will be killed until this December since I'm sure more people are going to die anyway, and I'm still going to be blamed for it.)
Since January this year, a total of 58 executions have been attributed to the vigilante group.
'Bad guy'
Duterte said he is not willing to apologize or try to explain to anyone the summary killings of people suspected of being involved in illegal drugs.
He said had been warning criminals that Davao City is no longer a safe place for them to operate.
"If you think I am the bad guy here, so be it. So be it. Basta sa droga hardline gyud ko ana (When it comes to drugs, I take a hard-line stand against drugs). I will not allow my country to be destroyed," he added.
Duterte said based on recent studies, about 3 million Filipinos are said to be drug dependents. He said this is the reason the national government declared an all-out campaign against drugs.
The mayor suspects that illegal drug use is so rampant it may even be the underlying factor in some vehicular accidents.
"Pagbantay-bantay mo kay kanang mga bangga sa sakyanan labi na nang mga naga-overtime nga mga drivers posible nga nagagamit na ug shabu mao nga
daghang mga angol sa mga aksidente karon," Duterte said. (Better watch out. Vehicular accidents involving drivers who have worked overtime may just be because the driver used shabu. That's why there are many injuries from vehicular accidents these days.)
Death penalty
Duterte said drug abuse is so rampant that he personally suggested to
President Arroyo the enactment of a law authorizing the execution of five death convicts a day to show how serious the government is in the campaign against drugs.
He said foreigners who bring in drugs to the country in volume should be prioritized. The mayor said he also do not favor the suspension of the death penalty.
Duterte also admitted that reports on the alleged involvement of some politicians in the drug trade are true.
"Narco-politics is so corrupting that it is destroying the very fiber of the Filipinos," he said. He said he suspects some mayors from Cotabato are drug lords themselves.
"That is why I instructed the Task Force Davao to thoroughly check on the vehicles bearing "mayor's plate numbers" kasi yan pa mismo ang ginagamit nila sa pagtransport ng (because this might be being used to bring) drugs into the city dahil (as) they presume it won't be checked," Duterte said.
Rebel groups
Duterte also confirmed that some rebel groups are involved in illegal drugs to support their various activities and achieve their ultimate goal of bringing down the government.
The mayor earlier said some groups involved in the proliferation of illegal drugs in Mindanao have connections with some members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Duterte even said the groups are also responsible for the two bombings that hit Davao City this year.
Arroyo said in Manila that some communist rebel groups were suspected of being involved in illegal drugs.
In a surprising move, Duterte invited the sparrow unit of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) to visit Davao City and help eliminate the "big fishes" in the illegal drug trade.
Communist rebels are blaming Duterte for the spate of killings in Davao. The rebels accused Duterte of killing only the small fries while keeping his hands off the big fishes who are reportedly close to him.
"I invite them to the city. Tabangan nato'g ihaw ning mga drug lords dinhi. Tutal sila bitaw master aning mga ihaw-ihaw kay niadtong late 70s ug early 80s mao may ginabuhat nila dinhi sa syudad. By all means i-revive nato to," the mayor said. (Let us eliminate the drug lords here. Anyway these rebels are experts of summary executions especially during the 70s and early 80s.)
He, however, denied some of the "big fishes" are his friends. He said if his friends are into drugs, he would punish them himself.
Drug czar
Some people suggested that Duterte be appointed as the drug czar in the government's fight against illegal drugs. Some prominent political figures are allegedly fighting for the title.
Duterte said he is not cut out for the title and has no plans of ever accepting it if offered. "Dili ko oy (No way). I don't want to be involved with the National Government. It's a tall order," he said.
The mayor, a presidential consultant on public order and safety, had repeatedly stressed his disinterest in a national position. He said if he wanted one, he would have accepted the position a long time ago.
Duterte was reportedly previously offered the post of a local government secretary during the administration of then president Fidel Ramos.
He declined the offer saying he is not made for such a position. Sun.Star Davao
(July 7, 2003 issue)
Want Sun.Star news on your mobile phone? Click here.
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
|
|
 |
| click
to comment on this article or discuss it with other readers |
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
