"(The drug war) is not any more in accord with the legal processes, and the moral norms are being violated and so now is the time for the Church to speak up," he said. Duterte has made no apologies for the killings, saying he would be happy to "slaughter" three million drug addicts to stop the Philippines from descending into a Latin American-style narco state. "Not too many churches and people are actually keen on speaking up against these killings because of fear," he said. Church leaders take pains to emphasise they have not given up on Duterte and they are not campaigning against his rule, just the killings. What impact the Church campaign against the killings will have on government policy remains uncertain.

Source: The Nation Bangkok January 18, 2017 03:10 UTC