「日刊まにら新聞」ウェブ

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday scoffed at the award given to Senator Leila de Lima in the United States .

In a speech during the Presidential Awards for Filipino individuals and organization overseas in Malacanang, Duterte reiterated the Philippines is "narcopolitics state", where a number of government officials, including a senator, are allegedly involved in illegal drugs.

"We have been corrupted and this is why I cry every night. This is the drug industry of the Philippines ," said Duterte as he showed a thick pile of papers containing the list of thousands of government officials, including village captains, mayors, governors, and policemen, among others, who were allegedly into drugs.

"A senator...was glorified with an award in Washington DC ," he said, referring to De Lima, who was one among the 100 Foreign Policy Global Thinkers. She was included in the category "Challengers."

De Lima expressed belief she could have been given the award because of her stance against the extrajudicial killings and other policies of the Duterte administration.

De Lima has been accused of receiving drug money from the illegal drug operations inside the New Bilibid Prison when she was still justice secretary during the Aquino administration. The senator has denied the allegation.

In the same speech, Duterte named three local government officials included in the list of those allegedly involved in illegal drugs.

They are former Iligan City Representative Vicente Belmonte, former Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Cruz, and a certain Mayor Willy Lim.

In another gathering in Malacanang attended by government employees, Duterte again explained his intensified campaign against illegal drugs.

He said I could not prove yet beyond reasonable doubt the allegations against those allegedly involved in illegal drugs. “What he could just produce now is a "probable cause," he said.

Duterte slammed his critics for "trivializing" the drug problem, which has contaminated about four million Filipinos.

"Your hearts bled for these sons of a bitch," he said referring to those drug suspects who have already been killed. "I have declared war against them," he said.

The president said killings of drug suspects would only stop if those involved in illegal drugs would stop from their drug operations.

He added those who want to impeach or assassinate him could go ahead.

He said let history judge him that "I was ousted because I was desperate in helping my country because I love my country." Celerina Monte/DMS