Apart from mayor Rodrigo Duterte of Davao City, more and more local chief executives have now been openly endorsing the killing of criminals.
This trend of either justifying or impliedly giving acquiescence to kill allege criminal and all crime offenders have now also become the trend in General Santos City and Digos City, the cities which are also facing continuing incidents of killings of alleged criminals.
In March 28, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) in Hong Kong has criticized the action of Pedro Acharon Jr., mayor of General Santos, for justifying the killings of alleged criminals as being perpetrated by their own group.
It expresses concern over Acharon’s statement as seriously undermining the fundamental of due process and obligation of the State for the protection of one person’s right against arbitrary deprivation of life.
Meanwhile, in April 21, mayor Arsenio Latasa of Digos City has openly endorses killing of criminals following the unabated incidents of robberies in his city.
He was quoted to have said publised in Sun.Star Davao: “Dili na ni madala og komedya-komedya, buot ipasabot nga kun kinahanglang patyon, patyon na. Wa man gihapo’y pulos ning mga tawhana kay puro kawatan man ni (sic)” (We could no longer take this as a joke. It means that if we need to kill them (criminals), kill them. They are useless anyway since they are all robbers.
The AHRC has since criticized these Mayors’ actions, particularly Duterte, in their previous statement regarding this issue.
May 23, 2008 at 1:44 am
[...] are charged with protecting their constituents’ lives and property, have openly and publicly endorsed the killing of those involved in crimes. In these cities all sense of the value of human lives and the [...]