Jerusalem – President Rodrigo Duterte vigorously defended his brutal war on drugs before Israeli businessmen, telling them that he values the “sanctity of life” even though critics brand him as a murderer.

”They said the criminals are being killed. But I have not for the life of me, ordered the killing of a particular person. If you happened to be there, sorry. If you are into drugs, sorry. That’s your fault, you asked for it,” Duterte said in a lengthy speech at a business forum here.

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Despite mounting criticisms against his administration’s bloody crackdown on narcotics, the President reiterated that his order to the police to “kill by all means” is only if their lives are in danger.

“If you have to kill, by all means, kill. And there is only one everywhere the same philosophy is that you can only kill if your life is also in danger. So if the enemy wants to kill you, then feel free to kill him first,” he said.

The firebrand leader slammed his critics, associating his war on drugs to extrajudicial killings.

“I am now being charged with violating human rights. Now there is no such crime in the Revised Penal Code about what is extrajudicial killing. There is murder, homicide, everything but extrajudicial killing is very, very foreign to us,” he said.

Duterte, a former prosecutor, also blasted human rights advocates who sued him before the International Criminal Court.

“You know you idiots there, you can never acquire jurisdiction over my person. Not in a million years,” he said.

Despite being branded as a killer because of the thousands of drug-related deaths since he assumed office in 2016, the President said he values the sanctity of life but have to be unforgiving to terrorists.

“I have to contend with so many troubles there and I’m sure that you have heard about human rights. You know I am a lawyer. I was baptized. I am a Christian and I believe in the value and sanctity of life,” he said.

“But for the life of me, I can never tolerate banditry, the ISIS thing of just killing people, children and all. I only kill criminals. And if you ask me now, “Yes, I do,” he added.

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Corrupt-free government

In a speech mostly about drugs, killings, and terrorism, Duterte assured Israeli businessmen of a corrupt-free government with “simpler” rules for business processing.

“If you are into business in the Philippines, there are rules to be followed.” But I’m going to make it simpler and simpler the rules when I go back. And I want it really to be graft-free,” he said.

He urged businessmen to report to him erring government officials who extort money from them.

“And if there is anyone of you here now and I give you my guarantee, if anyone of you here would do business in the Philippines and you are given a hard time especially if you are being milked or extorted or being asked of even a piece of… Tell me. I will grant you an audience even in the middle of the night and hear you out. And I guarantee you,” he said.

He assured businessmen that he would not tolerate corrupt government officials.

“Just remember the official with whom you are transacting. You name him I will call him and in front of me I will say to you, “Slap him.” Slap him twice on both cheeks,” because he is insulting you, he is insulting your character and for me, he puts my country into shame,” the President said.

“There will be no corruption. There will be no harassments, no nothing,” he added. /vvp

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