By Genalyn Kabiling
LAUR, Nueva Ecija -- President Duterte has vowed to finish off drug traffickers even if human rights groups seek God's intervention.
The President said his government would give no quarter to those involved in the narcotics trade, saying he was prepared to finish and kill drug offenders "for nothing."
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (KING RODRIGUEZ / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
"If you destroy my country, I will kill you. So be it. Human rights, fine, you can shout to the heavens. You can call God and intervene," he said during the inauguration of the Moscati Meadows residential treatment center in Nueva Ecija.
"If you continue to sell shabu, cocaine and the drugs that are deleterious and toxic and can cause death to the Filipinos, I will kill you. Period," he said
Duterte said he was not worried about the human rights groups "with bleeding hearts" critical of his relentless war on illegal drugs. He maintained that there was no stopping the campaign against the narcotics trade.
"For those in the business, my God, no quarters given, no quarters asked. I don't give a shit, I will just kill you," he said.
He said he has already ordered the government forces to put an end to the drug menace under his watch. He reaffirmed his offer to take full responsibility for the drug war, saying he was ready to be hanged for it.
"We had a command conference, tapusin na natin ito sa panahon ko, while I’m still here ready to assume singly. I will assume full legal responsibility for whatever it is. And they can hang me if they want. No problem," he said.
"I like hanging. It’s kind of nice to feel your throat being… I saw it in the movies. Some are --- I don’t know if they’re crying but some are laughing. And I said, I can kill an enemy. But to the drugs people, I can kill you for nothing, ‘ika nga ng Mexicano," he added.
He observed that there seemed to be "a blossoming of criminals globally,” citing the involvement of Sinaloa cartel and bamboo triad in the drug trafficking. "We are fighting a global war against drug,” he said.