The Philippine President – Rodrigo Duterte warned Overseas Filipino Workers against committing drug-related crimes here and abroad, stressing that he would not be able to get them off the hook.
“Kaya kayong mga Pilipino sa labas, wag ninyong gawin ‘yan kasi papatayin din kayo doon (That’s why you, Filipinos abroad, don’t do that because you’ll also be killed there). Do not be committing crimes in other countries,” Duterte said.
“I cannot help you and I won’t help you. ‘Yan tandaan ninyo (Remember that),” he added.
Duterte said his warning also applies to government workers and officials, noting that some had been “hiding” their involvement in the drug trade until he became President.
“I realized that in waging a war against drugs, I would be fighting my own government,” Duterte said.
“’Yun ang malas ko. At nabuksan lang ‘yan nung Presidente na ako. Tinago nila ng tinago ‘yan (That’s my bad luck. And this was only discovered when I became President. They kept hiding it),” he added.
It was not clear if Duterte was referring to current or sacked government officials.
Duterte issued the warning as he threatened foreigners not to bring illegal drugs to the Philippines.
“Whether as a drug lord, I do not care if you are from China, if you are from Taiwan, if you are from Malaysia. If you come here and you do that (bring illegal drugs), I will really kill you,” the president said during an assembly of village leaders in Pasay last Monday.
“Now, if Filipinos will be engaged in drug trafficking, he will not lift a hand in the sense that he would be traveling there and asking the president for a pardon. What we can do is just to provide lawyers from them,” he added.
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the president would not travel to another country to seek the pardon of Filipinos who committed crimes.
“What he means by that is he cannot be violating the laws of other countries, just like his position that you cannot violate our laws,” Panelo said.
“Now, if Filipinos will be engaged in drug trafficking, he will not lift a hand in the sense that he would be traveling there and asking the president for a pardon. What we can do is just to provide lawyers from them,” he added.
Panelo said helping Filipinos involved in narcotics goes against the Philippines’ campaign against illegal drugs.
“It will be against our own policy too, that we are very strict on the enforcement of the drug laws but in other countries, we are inconsistent,” he added.
