MANILA, Philippines — Prelates and human rights advocates have raised concerns over President Duterte’s statement on Thursday that the controversial police official, Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido, was “free to kill” in Bacolod City. In a speech at the 45th Philippine Business Conference and Expo, Mr. Duterte said he had told Espenido that when “you go there (Bacolod), you are free to kill everybody.”“Bacolod is badly hit [by illegal drugs] now. But Espenido brushed aside the concerns and vowed to continue his “no-nonsense” campaign against illegal drugs. We always protect the rights of the people,” Espenido told reporters at Camp Gen. Martin Delgado, the regional police headquarters in Iloilo City. Pamuspusan described Bacolod as among the “problematic areas” on illegal drugs in Western Visayas.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer October 19, 2019 20:48 UTC