Rody’s War
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DAVAO CITY (davaotoday.com) – Mayor Rodrigo Duterte likes to regale his guests with the story of how, one time, using a piece of firewood, he crushed the hands of a man accused of stealing hand-held radios. The problem with the story, as the mayor himself would tell his visitors, is that he had actually punished the wrong man.
Duterte laughed out loud when he narrated this story one evening last week, during dinner with friends and journalists. He used the story to drive home the point that he hates thieves and criminals with passion.
The irony was apparently lost on him. To his critics, however, this story illustrates perfectly what is so wrong with Duterte’s obsession with ridding the city of criminals using what has been described by the mayor’s critics as criminal methods. Because he sidesteps due process, they say, he is bound to make mistakes sooner or later.
Indeed, according to the Coalition Against Summary Executions (CASE), an alliance of human rights and child advocates in the city, 12 of the 469 murdered by death squads or hired killers here from 1998 until 2005 had been cases of mistaken identity.
This year has seen the worst so far in the killings that have made this city infamous, with 147 summary executions. CASE said the murders have become even more brazen. “They shoot pointblank in broad daylight, even in busy spots like the entrance of a downtown shopping mall,” said Ricmar Mapalo, the group’s spokesman.
But many of his supporters, mainly law enforcers, businessmen and members of the city’s political and economic elite, laud the man and his crime-fighting method. They say of all the mayors this city has had, nobody quite changed it the way Duterte did. Duterte is one leader “who can implement the law,” said Leo Avila, chair of the Committee on Ethics and Good Governance at the City Council.
“My hatred for criminals – that’s what changed Davao City,” Duterte told the editors of davaotoday.com last week. In that interview, Duterte made no bones about his views of criminals, and offered a fascinating – if at times disturbing – insight into the mind of one of the most controversial and popular political leaders in the Philippines.
Excerpts:
Some say there have been cases of mistaken identity in these killings?
If they have the facts, why don’t they file a case in court or come to me and show to me? Why can’t they do that?
I remember the case of (human-rights worker Rashid) Manahan. He had received death threats in Cotabato. When he was killed in my city, they say I ordered the killing. Putang ina! Why would I kill a poor guy who was just working for an NGO? If you want, I’ll line up all the human-rights commissioners and kill them all.
They say you don’t touch the big fish.
Puta… I don’t hit the big fish? Hesusmaryosep! I know I cannot get (industrialist Jesus) Ayala and (banana magnate Antonio) Floirendo because they don’t use drugs!
How safe is Davao City?
Very safe, I would say, except for the terrorists. But the common crimes like snatching… That’s petty. I cannot kill a human being just because he stole small items. That’s too expensive a payment. I deal with kidnappers, especially people who kill, or people who rape and kill.
They make your blood boil.
I’m like that. It’s my human nature. And you know human nature is part of your character. That’s my persona.
What has changed about you since you first ran for mayor,
since you were a prosecutor?
I hate to mention this because I’m not trying to make a big issue out of it. I grew up with politics because my father was governor. So practically I have a good training about how to deal with problems of people.
My hatred of criminals – that’s what changed Davao. If I have not improved the lot of the poor folk there at Boulevard, it’s simply because of the economy. But what actually, to me, made the difference is at least the criminals here are afraid of the law. Here, if you are a police officer and you steal from a civilian, putang ina, I’m going to kill you. God, I will! I’ll M16 you in public.
You know, governance or whatever in public office — it’s all about sense and sensibility. That is all that is needed. I am proud that I walk the extra mile to see to it that this city is peaceful.
We’d like to make this clear: Each time you say you’d kill somebody….
That is all talk! (Laughs.)
But isn’t that a form of taking the law into your own hands?
No, it’s a form of a threat, instilling fear in the minds of criminals. So, if you are a journalist, if you are an ordinary citizen, why should you be afraid? Unless you believe your mayor is a candidate for a mental asylum. (Laughs.) Why would you be afraid each time I say, “You criminals are sons of bitches! I’m going to kill all of you!”? If you’re afraid, then you must be a criminal.
Doesn’t that put you in danger of being implicated if
something happens to these people after you say those things?
You know, guilt is personal. Remember that it’s a principle of criminal law. Guilt is personal. There is no guilt by association just because I’m the mayor talking here nonsense.
Each time I threaten them, there’s always a qualification: “You terrorists, putang ina, I’m going to kill you!” As you see, they end up dead. (Laughs.)
What happens if you’re no longer mayor? The fear by the criminals could be of you, not the law. What happens if you’re no longer there and the person who replaces you is not as strong as —
Putang ina, even if I’m asleep, wake me up and I’ll deal with it. (Laughs.) I’m never afraid of criminals, even when I was not yet a mayor. When I was a prosecutor, I kicked a man in the chest inside the court room.
Were you cited in contempt?
Of course! (Laughs.) I was a prosecutor and I was in jail. (Laughs.)
Why can’t you just prosecute these criminals, bring them to justice?
Some of them are dead. The others, we’re still going to kill them.
Were you frustrated with the legal system?
I began as a prosecutor, right? So take it from me. When I was a prosecutor for 10 years, this thing called guilt – that’s always an 80-20 proposition and all you have to do is to create doubt. And because of stringent regulations about right to counsel, information, due process and everything – these are so limited. What can you get from a terrorist during 36 hours of detention? Let’s be frank. What can you get?
The judicial process is too complicated?
It’s not just that. It’s the law itself. Because government is supposed to be powerful it owns everything but there’s a barrier and that barrier is the Bill of Rights. It protects the citizens from abusive excesses, inordinate exercise of power. The problem is, they abuse it, so the criminals are in and out of prison. That’s what I hate about it.
Let’s put it this way. I am not about ready to admit any particular killing here. (Laughs.) I can go to prison. What I’m trying to say is that I’m trying hard to make everybody realize, both the civilians and criminals, that if you commit a serious crime, you’ll just have to pay for it. Maybe inside the prison or maybe lose your funds or lose your life.
How do you know that your threats against criminals are working?
Look around. Compare it to other places. How could you not see it? Go around the city…
Have you given up on due process?
No, I should not waive anything there in the Bill of Rights. I think that we should observe it strictly. But if you do not leave room for me to exercise my discretion of human rights or if you do not give me that space, if you box me in one corner, you do not leave me an elbow room to give you, to afford you that right, in the end, you will lose everything… maybe including your life.
But what about the children? Many of those killed were minors.
(Stammers.) That’s a collateral… social problem. It becomes a collater… collateral itself. Its not a question of crime anymore. That’s what makes things difficult. Well, that is another problem. I cannot answer that. (davaotoday.com)
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Davao firms to issue warning on closures, retrenchments
June 14th, 2006 at 6:49 am
[...] Whether these summary executions deter crime is subject to debate. While Duterte and his believers can argue that crime happens, no matter how tough he is on it, it certainly unnerves people when heinous crimes are still committed at the same time that the authorities are telling us it is honky-dory around here. Dead bodies littering the streets is not my idea of a peaceful and progressive city. For a background on this so-called “Duterte Formula” and to know more about Duterte, click here and here. [...]
September 6th, 2006 at 3:19 pm
well…it seem that..for him..its ok to kill ..his the mayor why can he create jobs for most of the people who are or if not most them are in below poverty level,as you know poverty creates crime…thats what people driven to crimes,what i see about him is that he create his own style of monarchy,like the king(sound like marcos)….the bill of right is guaranteed to every citizen to every people,that all men and women are created equal..and also those get killed by mistaken identity is that ,one of the reason not to press charge is that there scared….and here in philippines you gotta have lots of mone y to get justice….and if he frustrated to the law itself that doesnt mean not to follow it,you think davao is safe because his the mayor the answer is no instead he created a city in fear and scary…..I still believe the due process of the law…fair and honest government…and obeying the law is not a privilege its a duty to every citizen including the mayor,president,governor,everyone who understand the simple right or wrong….I just hope that someday the rule of law will preveil,and this nonsense killing without due process of the law will stop……peace out…
December 3rd, 2006 at 8:49 pm
[...] Such a tragedy would drive a mother crazy but the 51-year-old Clarita Alia fought on, helping in the advocacy against the extrajudicial killings in Davao (thanks to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who openly endorses the killings) and at the same time trying to eke out a living in a hovel beside a dump in Bankerohan. [...]
December 3rd, 2006 at 8:59 pm
[...] Such a tragedy would drive an ordinary mother crazy but the 51-year-old Clarita Alia is not an ordinary mother. Despite the tragedies, she fought on, helping in the advocacy against the extrajudicial killings in Davao (thanks to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who openly endorses the killings) and at the same time trying to eke out a living in a hovel beside a dump in Bankerohan. [...]
December 3rd, 2006 at 9:07 pm
[...] Such a tragedy would drive an ordinary mother crazy but the 51-year-old Clarita Alia is not an ordinary mother. Despite the tragedies, she fought on, helping in the advocacy against the extrajudicial killings in Davao (thanks, but no thanks, to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who openly endorses the killings) and at the same time trying to eke out a living in a hovel beside a dump in Bankerohan. [...]
December 5th, 2006 at 11:14 am
[...] It used to be that the killers, mainly the Davao Death Squad, would use .45 caliber pistols, usually shooting the victims in the head. Now, the methods seem to have changed. These days, it is quite common to hear news in Davao City of young men being stabbed, often to death, in and around Bankerohan or in the slum areas that dot the city. A Criminal Culture Clarita Alia supports her family by selling vegetables in Bankerohan. (davaotoday.com photo by Cheryll D. Fiel) It is a criminal culture nurtured by an increasing acceptance of extrajudicial means of dealing with crime, as exemplified by the rise of the Davao Death Squad. Mayor Rodrigo Duterte openly endorses these summary executions, warning criminals or suspected criminals – even those still considered children, like Fernando – that they, too, would be killed if they do not mend their ways. [...]
January 1st, 2007 at 11:29 pm
[...] His Royal Highness, King Rody of Davao INDISPENSABLE? Mayor Rodrigo Duterte says he decided to allow his daughter Sara to run for mayor for fear that traditional politicians will mess up the city. (davaotoday.com photo by Carlos H. Conde) [...]
January 2nd, 2007 at 12:04 pm
[...] That was quite a mouthful Sara Duterte said yesterday, in a statement she gave to Sun.Star Davao. In the story by Stella Estremera, Sara said: “I demand that respect for privacy be given where it is due.” Sounds to us like Sara’s seeming disappointment at being dragged into the political limelight was directed at her father, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who recently disclosed that he wanted his daughter to be his vice mayor in order to preempt Benjamin de Guzman. Makes us wonder: Do members of the Duterte family even talk to each other? Or is this a case of manipulating the public, sort of a good-cop, bad-cop routine? PREVIOUS STORY: Reggae Davao Possible Related Posts:His Royal Highness, King Rody of DavaoThe Irrepressible DuterteDuterte Rejects GMA’s Defense Chief OfferDavao’s New Traffic System Goes Haywire [...]
January 2nd, 2007 at 12:13 pm
[...] That was quite a mouthful Sara Duterte said yesterday, in a statement she gave to Sun.Star Davao. In the story by Stella Estremera, Sara said: “I demand that respect for privacy be given where it is due.” Sounds to us like Sara’s seeming disappointment at being dragged into the political limelight was directed at her father, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. [...]
February 8th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
Please ask the mayor of davao : What will the Mayor do to those big land owner(s) :that oppress the poor - by tearing down their huts illegally ,using hired goons, leaving helpless children without a roof , exposing them to rain and some children encountering fevers and the parents have no where to settle.Children cannot go to school, and their parents cannot find a job, at this time.
How will he help the oppressed families in this case?
Location: Buhangin,Davao City 8000,Philippines
April 14th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
This killing when it happened to hardened criminal is a must instead of wasting court money and time.But killing children is not right.If Rody really is a good man he should gather all this children and rehabilitate them ,instead of paying this so called death squad for every head they cut.Why not established a a kind of boys town where you teach kids some kind of skill?Carpentry,electricity,etc.
Drug pusher and supplier should be unmasked and every politician and military behind this should be wipe out instead of drug addicts(kids).Rody should know this guys,he is that kind of guy who knows everything when it comes to bad people.Right Rody.
The death squad use knives now because they don’t want any ballistic to trace who owns the gun,etc.
July 27th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
its easy to criticise the mayor. Most of his talk is just threats but like any threat some times you have to make good. If he is so bad and ruthless why is he so widely loved in davao city. i live in Davao City and i have seen with my own eyes how the everyday person respects him. Many poor people seek him out to tell thier little problems to. He listens. He digs into his own pocket to give to the poor. i am a american and we have children in the states running around with automatic weapons. you people need to get real.
sam
February 6th, 2008 at 12:06 am
please reamin as a mayor!ur inddispensable!but if u must leave trein somebdy wd the same blood like u have!mybe ur son!
February 25th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
you people talk like as if you have been the reason why your place is already peaceful…
have you ever been in the midst of gunfire?
so what if the mayor speaks in the strongest form of words like “kill”
it doesn’t mean he endorses them… if you have lived in Davao as a good citizen you would never ever think that he endorses killing whenever he says that… you’d feel safe… and like he said when you are a criminal, when you have done wrong, you might as well flee…
if for any reason that the teens go haywire, i do not think it’s because of duterte… blame the media, blame the parents, blame hollywood promoting all these scenes even blame yourself!
July 18th, 2008 at 2:09 am
İ m from Turkey and have been to Davao twice . Big welldone to the mayor. you guys got a big problem with your population .God bless all