Duterte Pledges to Kill All Criminals in `Bloody War' on Crime
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Philippine presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte.
Photographer: Dondi Tawatao/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Rodrigo Duterte, the tough-talking mayor from the southern Philippines and front-runner in the country’s May 9 presidential elections, declared a "bloody war" against criminals and drug lords in a speech Wednesday, pledging to make fighting crime a cornerstone of his administration.
Promising to put 3,000 more police on the streets and double salaries for the police and military, Duterte blamed criminals for destroying the Philippines and said that if he was elected president voters would begin to see a difference within six months.