DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Criminals will die.

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This was the stern warning of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte as he pushed for the reimposition of death penalty in the Philippines.

“Dito hindi ka na kailangan matakot. Talagang mamamatay ka. Because this part of the law says, this is retribution. Magbayad ka sa ginawa mo,” Duterte said during his speech at the turnover of command ceremony of the Davao City Police on Friday.

(Here you don’t have to be afraid. You will surely die…You pay for what you’ve done.)

Duterte said death penalty in past administrations were never effective.

“Despite the fact that there is the death penalty law at that time, it never deterred the criminals from committing their acts. But of course, because they never implemented the law. Wala ngang pinapatay so paano sila ma-deter (No one was killed so how can it be deterred),” he said.

He said he wanted the revival of death penalty so he can hang criminals.

“That’s why I am asking for the reinstatement of the death penalty so that I can hang them,” he said.

The 71-year old tough-talking local executive assailed people who tagged death penalty only as a “corrective measure” and “inhuman.”

“Dito, one-year-old, three months old, nire-rape pinapatay, anak ka ng—tapos sabihin nila huwag iyang death penalty kasi inhuman?” he said.

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(Here, one-year-old, three months old getting raped, killed, you son of a—then they tell us don’t use death penalty because it’s inhuman.)

Duterte said he would use death penalty for heinous crimes and drug cases, citing how even prisoners enjoy selling and using drugs inside their cells.

In his speech, Duterte told the policemen to never be afraid and just do their job and he would take care of them.

“All that I asked of you is do your duty according to the law,” he said.

He reiterated his previous orders to the police force to kill criminals who are resisting arrests even if they are politicians. TVJ

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