Duterte risks impeachment, Philippine senators say

Two Philippine senators are of the opinion that President Rodrigo Duterte risks impeachment after he admitted “personally” killing criminals when he was the mayor of Davao City.

According to Senator Leila de Lima, a staunch critic of Duterte, the president’s admission could be a ground for impeachment.

“That is betrayal of public trust and that constitutes high crimes because mass murders certainly fall into the category of high crimes. And high crimes is a ground for impeachment under the constitution,” de Lima told CNN on Thursday.

Read also: West African leaders fail to reach deal with hard stance Jammeh

Duterte boasted to business leaders on Monday that as Davao City mayor he used to prowl the streets on a big motorcycle looking for “an encounter to kill” just to show to local law enforcers he can do it.

“I used to do it personally,” Duterte said. “If I can do it why can’t you?”

More than 2,000 people have been killed in police anti-drug operations since Duterte became president in July. Almost all were shot when they resisted arrest.

RipplesNigeria ….without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now