PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Saturdday, January 27, brushed aside the purported Islamic State's (IS) plan to assassinate him.
Speaking to reporters in Davao City, the President was not intimidated by "mere" threats, saying that he has has been living a "dangerous life" for a long time now.
Duterte said IS threats could not stop him from fulfilling his mandate, one of which is to combat terrorism in the country.
"I've been telling you right at the start, when my time comes, it wil come. I will stick to what destiny has given me. If I go tomorrow, then I go," he said in an interview upon his arrival from India early Saturday morning.
"Assassination? If it's my time [to die], it's my time. So I should not be deterred. I should not be discouraged by just mere threats. I've been a prosecutor for nine years doing trial work. It was a dangerous life then as it is now," the President added.
India-based The Print reported that IS group in Indonesia was planning to launch an attack against Duterte during his visit to New Delhi.
Duterte has been consistent in his speeches that he would go after IS and would not allow them to destroy the country.
IS has allegedly pledged allegiance to local Maute fighters in the southern Philippines, who wreaked havoc in Marawi City on May 23, 2017 in a bid to establish an Islamic caliphate. The IS-backed Maute group's plan was unsuccessful after they got defeated by Philippine troops.
Mindanao has been placed under martial rule until end of 2018, amid threats still posed by IS.
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said the President knew all along that he was a target of IS.
Esperon said that despite this, Duterte would not be demoralized from living up to his promise to end terror acts.
"[Duterte] knows there will be threats on him. But will he back off from his hardline position against IS et al.? Of course not," he said in a separate statement. (SunStar Philippines)