President Duterte said that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin might just end up in the same jail cell due to the accusations of human rights violations hurled at them.
Duterte made the remark as he lamented the country's drug problem during the PDP-Laban campaign rally in Cainta, Rizal, on Wednesday evening, May 3.
In his speech, the President related his experience of being accused of human rights violations because of his infamous drug war to Putin, whose troops continue to attack Ukraine.
"May kaso daw ako sa International Court of Justice, kulungin ako. Human rights, eh si Putin binobomba 'yung... Ako, ano'ng kasalanan ko (They said there's a case against me at the International Court of Justice and they'll jail me for human rights violations. How about Putin who bombed... What's my fault)?" he said.
"Pinapatay ko kriminal. Si Putin, babae, lalaki, bata, 'yun pulpog, flattened. Inaakusa rin ng human rights. So baka isa kaming selda lang pagdating ng panahon (I killed criminals. Putin killed women, men, children. He flattened them. He's also accused of human rights violations so maybe we'll share a cell one day)," he added.
Duterte reiterated that he did what he thought was best to address the country's problem with illegal drugs and that nothing was in it for him.
"Ano man makuha ko (What would I get from that)? Kindly tell me. May pera akong makuha diyan sa mga p***** i**** ‘yan? Anong makuha ko (Would I get money from those sons of b*tches? What's in it for me)? Satisfaction? Why?" he said.
"Do you think it’s really easy to kill a human being? Ganoon kadali? Pero ano'ng nakuha ko (Is it that easy? But what did I get)?" he added.
Duterte had promised to solve the country's drug problems within three to six months, a promise that catapulted him to the presidency in 2016. However, last week, he admitted that he was wrong and that his hubris forced him to make such a pronouncement.
"Sinasabi ko (I said) I can clean it in six months. Then after that, I realized na nagkamali talaga ako (I was wrong)," Duterte said on Wednesday evening, April 27.
"Maybe it’s hubris; it was campaign time, payabangan naman 'yang kampanya (the campaign is a boasting contest)," he said.
Despite this, Duterte said he could not just sit idly and might find a way to address the problem even after he is out of the office starting the afternoon of June 30, 2022.