Palace says Duterte's shoot-to-kill order not a crime

Malacañang defended President Rodrigo Duterte's statement ordering authorities to shoot dead individuals who resort to violence during the COVID-19 crisis, stating it is not a crime.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo clarified that the President's remarks were not illegal, citing the universal law of self-preservation which permits the use of lethal violence when lives are at stake.

Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano further defended the President's threat, urging the public to consider the context and not take the statement literally.

Cayetano noted that Duterte's warning against quarantine violators came after reports that members of an urban poor group were arrested for staging a mass protest in Quezon City.

He asserted that the President's statement was made to prevent civil disobedience and riots, emphasizing the need for people to follow quarantine guidelines and that violence would not be tolerated.

Duterte had previously warned against instigating riots, stating that offenders would be detained during the state of national emergency.

Panelo asserted that any attempts to destabilize the government or obstruct the implementation of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act would be 'crushed'.

The statement comes after Amnesty International urged the Duterte administration to cease inciting violence and protect human rights.