President Duterte: ‘Kill my son if drug rumours are true’
Paolo Duterte, son of the Philippines President, is accused of gang activity and importing drugs
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has revealed he gave orders to police to kill his eldest son, Paolo Duterte, if they were able to prove he has been involved in drug trafficking.
“My order was: If there’s any of my children into drugs, kill them, so the people can't say anything against me,” the President said.
Paolo, who is vice-mayor of the city of Davao, "was accused of being a member of a triad Chinese transnational organised crime syndicate during a hearing in the Philippine Senate on September 7,” The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Straits Times says he was “also earlier linked to a certain Davao Group, which had allegedly been facilitating drug smuggling at the Bureau of Customs”.
President Duterte continues to face criticism over his brutal crackdown on drug dealers and users. “In the space of a year, it's estimated that more than 12,000 people have been killed in the state-sanctioned war against drug users and dealers,” ABC says.
Political opponent Senator Leila de Lima has labelled the President a "beast" and a "sociopath". She is being held in detention in Manila on drug trafficking charges, which she says were invented by Duterte in order to silence her.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
Sudoku medium: December 22, 2024
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Crossword: December 22, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?
Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
By The Week UK Published
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikes
Speed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Political dynasties at war in the Philippines
Under the Radar 'Fiercer, nastier, and more personal' rift between Marcos and Duterte factions risks splitting ruling coalition
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published