The government intends to purchase rubber batons for the country's police force next year to enhance the fight against criminality, President Duterte announced Monday night.
(PCOO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Addressing the nation over state television, the President said he wanted to bring back the use of police batons as a "not so lethal weapon” to subdue persons resisting arrest. Duterte admitted that he preferred policemen to use batons instead of guns when confronting an unruly crime suspect.
"Kung ibabalik ko 'yung baton, ibalik ko siguro pero 'yung hard rubber. Huwag yung kahoy (If I will bring back the batons, I may bring them back but those made of hard rubber, not wood) but in the meantime the rattan will do, will suffice. We will look for the money next year. I'll buy you the baton," Duterte said.
The President admitted he was puzzled why the police batons were no longer used in law enforcement operations. Duterte recalled that he saw the "multipurpose use" of batons by policemen when he was young.
"You know when a person resists arrest, and he becomes violent, the first impulse of the police without a baton is to hold his gun. He might not draw it but he holds his gun ready for action," he said.
"Kung may baton ito, rubberized man ang baton noon, kung mahampas mo lang kamay o mahampas katawan, ay masakit 'yun (If there is a rubberized baton, if you hit the hand or body, it's painful), maybe you can subdue the person resisting arrest or the criminal," he added.
Duterte also noted that the batons are considered the "fist line of defense" of policemen to prevent the crime suspects from punching them or stealing their guns.
"The police can use a not so lethal weapon -- yung baton. Rubberized noon. Matigas pero not enough to break bones and also, the practice of using it moderately especially where to strike , what parts of the body of a human being can be well...so that he will stop his aggression or surrender," he said.
In the meeting with the President, Interior and Local Government Eduardo Año raised the use of one-meter rattan sticks by policemen to ensure people observe physical distancing. He said "yantok patrollers" will be deployed to check compliance with such health protocol.
"Kung mayroong mga kriminal na gagawa ng anumang kasaaman, puwede rin gamitin itong pang self-defense. Katulad lang naman ito na gumamit ng batuta noon araw (If there wilL be criminals planning to commit an offense, it may also be used for self-defense. This is just like the baton used in the past)," the DILG chief said.
Recently, Joint Task Force COVID-19 Shield chief Lt. Gen. Cesar Binag announced plans that law enforcers would use rattan sticks to enforce the one-meter distancing rule in public. The police official said the stick could also be used against stubborn persons flouting the health protocol.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque earlier said "yantok" or rattan stick may be used to measure the safe distance between people but not as a weapon to hit them.