PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has revealed that he had lost all his respect for the Abu Sayyaf when it turned inhuman.
At the 10th Eastern Mindanao Command Anniversary held in Davao City on late Friday, the President said that the bandits group "are slaughtering people as if they are chickens in front of the public."
"To Abu Sayyaf – they are listening now – I lost my respect to you. You had my respect then [because] you have been fighting for freedom. You're right. You're right that there was a historical injustice against the Moro people," Duterte said.
"So to all of Abu Sayyaf bandits, I salute you before but when you began to slaughter in front of the camera and then, now you killed an innocent boy, I lost my respect for you," he added.
The President was referring to the beheading of 18-year-old Filipino hostage Patrick Almodovar.
Abu Sayyaf decapitated Almodovar after the deadline to pay P1-million ransom had lapsed last Wednesday.
Duterte then maintained that the Abu Sayyaf bandits must be "killed and destroyed."
"My orders to the armed forces and the police, destroy them. Destroy them because they are criminals. And we will never have peace in that area there," the President said.
"And even if we grant them autonomy and they maintain to be bandits, we will never have peace in that land. So, we can do nothing. Peace talks will be useless." (Sunnex)