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Manila / AFP
Philippine leader Benigno Aquino called on his countrymen on Sunday to fight attempts to take away their freedoms as he prepared to hand over power to president-elect Rodrigo Duterte, who has vowed to kill tens of thousands of criminals.
Duterte won last month’s elections in a landslide largely on a pledge to suppress what he said was rampant crime, and has since vowed to award large bounties to police as well as civilians who kill drug dealers.
Speaking on the 118th anniversary of the country’s declaration of independence from Spanish colonial rule, Aquino said Filipinos must prevent a repeat of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ 20-year rule. “Let us remember that just a generation ago, the Philippine government itself was the one suppressing the freedom of our fellow Filipinos,” Aquino told foreign diplomats at a formal reception.
“A fellow Filipino deprived us of our freedoms. It means that if we are not vigilant, this can happen again,” Aquino added.
Aquino had warned last month during the election campaign that Duterte, the then frontrunner in the race to replace him as leader, carried similar dangers to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
Duterte has promised to end crime within six months of his presidency by ordering security forces to kill tens of thousands of suspected criminals, then pardon himself if he is found guilty of mass murder.
Duterte, who takes office on June 30, has been accused of running vigilante squads that have killed more than 1,000 suspected criminals in the southern city of Davao where he has been the long-time mayor.
At times he has boasted about his involvement—but on other occasions denied any links to the vigilantes.
Manila arrests suspect in kidnap of Italian priest
Pagadian / Bloomberg
Philippine authorities have arrested a man accused of kidnapping an Italian businessman who was held hostage for six months by militants, the military said on Sunday.
Retired Catholic priest Rolando Del Torchio, was abducted at his pizza restaurant in the southern city of Dipolog on Mindanao island last October. He was released unharmed on the Abu Sayyaf stronghold of Joloisland in April.
SeharMuloc, also known in the area as Commander Red Eye, helped the kidnappers select and stalk their Italian target, regional military spokesman Major Filemon Tan said.
“He (Muloc) is linked with the Abu Sayyaf. We have no information on whether he is also a member,” Tan said referring to the kidnap group, which is also blamed for the deadliest bombings in the Philippines.