Rodrigo DutertePhilippine President Rodrigo Duterte taunted the head of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Saturday, asking if he was a paedophile because of his focus on the killing of teenagers in the government's bloody war on drugs. The CHR requested a budget of 1.72 billion pesos for 2018, but the government proposed 678 million instead. CHR spokeswoman Jacqueline de Guia said the president's remarks deviated public attention away from a critical human rights issue in the country. Duterte also accused Gascon of being a spokesman for the opposition and criticised his scrutiny of police anti-drug activities. Filipinos largely support the crackdown as a means to tackle rampant crime, which Duterte says stems from drug addiction.

Source: Otago Daily Times September 17, 2017 05:26 UTC