Philippine President Duterte: 'I will play with you'

Philippine President Duterte has warned US President Obama, the European Union and the United Nations that they will "be embarrassed" if they investigate his anti-drug campaign.

Philippine President Duterte. Photo: Reuters

"These fools think they can do anything because the Philippines is a small country. God may give you money but we have brains," Reuters quoted Mr. Duterte as saying yesterday on television in front of hundreds of top Philippine businessmen, referring to the White House boss, the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN).

Duterte said he was aware of the investigation by Obama, US Secretary of State John Kerry, the EU and the UN Human Rights Council outside the Philippines into alleged extrajudicial killings of drug users. However, he only learned of it passively, after answering questions about it. The Philippine president announced on October 12 that he had officially invited a UN expert on pre-trial proceedings to the country to investigate the anti-drug campaign.

"I will play with you. I am very sure that they cannot be smarter than me. I will ask you five questions that will embarrass you. Watch out, it will be a show," Mr. Duterte said.

In a speech yesterday, the Philippine President stressed the need to "cleanse" the streets of drug dealers and free the country's young generation from the scourge of drugs.

Since Mr Duterte launched his anti-drug campaign in late June, an estimated 2,300 people have been killed, including more than 1,500 suspected drug suspects shot dead in police raids. Authorities previously put the death toll at more than 3,600, but later concluded that many had no connection to drugs.

Mr. Duterte still wins the support of 86% of Filipinos among 1,200 respondents in a recent survey.

According to VNE