Sneaky2021
Member
NOW that the tables have turned against the Dutertes, their calls for respect for human rights, the rule of law and the Constitution sound almost comical when you think about how they bastardized all these just a few years ago. "Our country has never been in a more tragic state [than] it is today. Rights have been trampled upon and our laws derided," former president Rodrigo Duterte said on Saturday as he condemned the police raid on the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KoJC) compound to serve arrest warrants for his long-time friend and benefactor, Pastor Apollo Quiboloy. Coming from someone whose presidency was marked by the killing of thousands of suspected drug personalities as well as intimidation and imprisonment of critics, Duterte's cry against abusive and violent enforcement of "illegal orders" could liken him to the proverbial man who cried wolf. His daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, also issued a statement on Sunday condemning the "gross abuse of police power" in raiding the KoJC compound near the Davao City airport, which, she said, "led to the harassment of religious worshipers, the abuse of minors, and the unnecessary loss of life." She described the police actions as "not only a blatant violation of constitutionally protected rights but a betrayal of the trust that we, Filipinos, place in the very institution sworn to protect and serve us." The Dutertes appear to have very short memories. Have they forgotten how a relentless war on drugs, resulting in at least 12,000 violent deaths of suspected drug personalities, including innocent civilians and young students, was implemented during their heyday?
