There’s a man going around taking names but everyone is not treated the same way! If you are a criminal in Davao City, you are on very dangerous ground! I remember when colorful mayor Rody Duterte was first elected as Mayor of Davao City way back in 1988 and yes, I was in the Philippines at that time. Word has it that Mayor Duterte held a press conference the day he was sworn in as Mayor of Davao City and he told the criminals to leave his city immediately! The Honorable Mayor declared war on criminals! Some scoffed at the Mayor because up until then, the criminals ruled the streets of Davao. However, criminals started turning up dead left and right! Death conquered the streets of Davao and it wasn’t the criminals doing the killing! The criminals were being killed! But hey, they were warned in advance. If you continue to play with fire, you are going to get burned and burnt!
DDS Was Born!
Davao Death Squad became active in Davao and they conquered the streets! Up until The Honorable Mayor was elected, even school children were being robbed of their jeepney and lunch money by street gangs. People were afraid to go out at night but crime happened in broad open daylight! Women were raped, drug lords and their soldiers openly sold drugs on the streets and murder was a sport to some heinous animals! Two legged animals! The citizenry of Davao were sick and tired of being afraid, so they took the bull by the horns and put a stop to crime. Vigilantes? Yep, that is what some call them but the streets of Davao are safe! What about where you live?
One reason that Manila and Cebu has such a terrible crime problem is because many of the criminals relocated there from Davao City! Business and tourism is booming in Davao City because it is one of the safest large cities in all of Asia! Singapore comes to mind about another location in Asia, which was tamed by another hard-nose, no nonsense leader. Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. I recall that Lee Kuan Yew was once interviewed by a New York Times reporter during one of his visits to the USA. The reporter brought up about Human Rights violations of criminals in Singapore. Without missing a beat, the Prime Minister asked the reporter if the streets of New York were safe for women at night? The reporter did not answer but the Prime Minister answered for him. Of course not but Singapore is safe 24/7 because criminals are dealt with harshly and they are afraid to commit crimes!
Corrupt policemen, who protected criminals, were also treated like criminals in Davao City. They were eliminated. No slap on the wrist for them, as they had no business being in law enforcement when they were also criminals! Sound fair enough?
Honorable Mayor Rody Duterte is a 5 term mayor and a 1 term vice mayor of Davao City. Due to term limits, he was also elected Congressman of the 1st District of Davao in 1998. Mayor Duturete is currently the Mayor of Davao City.
Human Rights Violations?
When was the last time you heard a Human Rights Organization official stand up and point their fingers at criminals for violating the human rights of victims that they rob, assault & batter, rape, kidnap, molest and murder? I agree that two wrongs do not add up to one right, however, sometimes, something has to be done quickly and harshly to deter certain behaviors! Legally, self defense is the right to protect yourself with whatever force is necessary against violence or threatened violence! Sweeping the streets clean of criminals is getting rid of the threat of violence. If you wake up from sleep and discover that an intruder is climbing over your compound gate in the midnight hour, you can rest assured they are not coming there to pay you a social call! Right?
Please do not misunderstand me! I was taught from a very young age by my Christian mother that taking the life of another human being is something that you never do unless it is indeed to protect your own life or the life of others from imminent violence, which could lead to death. Deadly force is the last resort but some criminals push it to that limit! Kill or be killed! Who is it going to be, you or them? Turn the other cheek and close your eyes, hoping for the best? Not in my book!
There is a reason why there is an old saying from very long ago, “Those who live by the sword shall also die by the sword!