MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Leni Robredo is concerned that President Rodrigo Duterte may be encouraging a culture of impunity among state forces by talking about his personal experience in killing crime suspects.

Robredo made the statement at a media interview in Zamboanga del Norte on Friday, December 16, a few days after the President admitted to businessmen in Malacañang that when he was still a mayor, he used to kill crime suspects. 

“Dapat siguro na alalahanin natin na siya iyong commander-in-chief ng Armed Forces at pinakaboss ng mga pulis. Kapag sinabi natin na ang Pangulo natin kinukuwento na umiikot siya at pumapatay ng tao, nakakatakot dito, parang in-e-encourage natin ang culture of impunity,” Robredo said.

(Maybe we should remember that he is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and the boss of the police. If we say that our President narrates how he goes around killing people, what’s scary is that it’s like we’re encouraging a culture of impunity.)

While she maintained her support for the fight against illegal drugs and other crimes, Robredo said such statements, especially coming from the Chief Executive, may “inspire” extrajudicial killings.

“Parang ‘pag ganito kasi ang statements parang iniinspire mo pa ang iba to take the law into their own hands. Nakakatakot nito,  parang nilulusaw niya ang rule of law sa ating bansa na ito ang pinakacore ng ating kaluluwa bilang isang bansa,” she said.

(With statements like these, it’s as if you are inspiring other people to take the law into their own hands. What’s scary is that it’s like he’s obliterating the rule of law in our country, which is the core of our soul as a nation.)

Speaking at the Wallace Business Forum held in Malacañang on Monday, December 12, Duterte bragged that he personally killed drug suspects back when he was Davao City mayor.

“In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the [police] that if I can do it, why can’t you? I go around in Davao [on] a big bike and I would just patrol the streets and looking for trouble. I was really looking for an encounter to kill,” he said.

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, who said he reviewed the President’s statement, clarified that what the President meant was that he just “goes around Davao looking for an encounter, a chance encounter with these criminals.”

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, meanwhile, said if Duterte killed anyone at the time, it was not illegal. He said the President “must have been forced to kill”  out of “justifiable circumstances.” – Rappler.com