Extrajudicial killings have been going on for a long time in Davao, President Rodrigo Duterte admitted in his speech in Davao Friday.
The President, speaking in a mixture of Bisaya and English during the final campaign push known as “miting de avance,” said Davao was in the forefront in terms of development, citing that the incidence of crime was low.
“So even in the matter of the elements of progress, Davao is in the forefront and only because we decided to do so. You have to understand me because extrajudicial killing has been going on for a long time,” Duterte said.
The people who cannot stomach the extrajudicial killings are not from Davao because those who are from Davao would understand. But the ones who cannot understand are the bishops and the elitists in Manila, Duterte said during the “miting de avance” of Hugpong ng Pagbabago-Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod in Davao City.
He said Davao under his administration was free from illegal activities, saying “look at Davao. Do we have a 1.1 problem… we have a problem. Are there illegal drugs, killings, and robbery? None.”
Duterte, who was criticized for his drug war, claimed the government’s continuing fight against illegal drugs was making positive results, like the decline in crime rate.
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Duterte, who was also linked by retired cop Arthur Lascañas to extrajudicial killings in Davao City during his term as mayor, vowed to continue the drug war until the last day of his term in 2022.
