Is the U.S. funding the Philippine Drug War?
MANILA, Philippines — With questions looming about the Trump administration’s involvement in Philippine’s violent war on drugs, Trump sure wasn’t shy about being chummy when he met with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during his visit to Asia today.
The Philippine dictator has committed horrible crimes against humanity and has sanctioned the murders of more than 7000 people since 2016. Duterte is also well known for his colorful rhetoric, and just this week he bragged about stabbing a man to death for looking at him.
Our Prick in Chief congratulated the man for murder and praised him, saying “I just wanted to congratulate you because I am hearing of the unbelievable job on the drug problem. Many countries have the problem, we have a problem, but what a great job you are doing, and I just wanted to call and tell you that.”
Trump ignored questions shouted by reporters asking him about human rights violations and murdered children. Duterte silenced reporters saying that it wasn’t a press conference. The men then joked that the journalists were spies.
Duterte is much like Trump with his rude comments aimed at unsuspecting people. The Philippine President threatened the U.N. Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Agnes Callamard on Wednesday, saying to Filipino workers that if she investigated him for human rights violations that “I will slap her in front of you. Why? Because you are insulting me.” Protesters marched with signs featuring pictures of Trump with a mustache resembling Hitler until water cannons pushed them back.
He also ignored questions about a 2018 U.S. congressional report that $5.3 million will be given to the Philippines for the war on drugs. The money is to help the Philippine National Police, the very people responsible for killing at least 2500 people in the war on drugs. According to the report, the United States also gave the Philippines $9 million for its war on drugs in 2017.
