Duterte tells police, military to shoot unruly quarantine violators

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 1) — President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the police and the military to shoot violators of the enhanced community quarantine if they are unruly and prove to be a threat to law enforcers’ lives.

“My orders are sa pulis pati military, pati mga barangay, na pagka ginulo at nagkaroon ng okasyon na lumaban at ang buhay ninyo ay nalagay sa alanganin, shoot them dead! Tingnan natin. Patay. Eh kaysa manggulo kayo diyan, eh libing ko na kayo,” Duterte said in an impromptu TV address Wednesday night.

[Translation: My orders to the police, the military and the barangays: If they become unruly and they fight you and your lives are endangered, shoot them dead! Let’s see. Dead. Instead of causing chaos, I’ll just bury you.]

Duterte’s statement came hours after residents of a Quezon City barangay staged a protest demanding food aid, which they said they have yet to receive. His statement also came as calls for his ouster flooded social networking site Twitter.

The Quezon City government said the left-leaning urban poor group Kadamay “instigated” residents of Sitio San Roque to protest and claim they were not given aid.

Duterte appealed to aid beneficiaries to be patient as he addressed "the Left," telling them not to riot or he will have them jailed.

“I will order you detained at bibitawan ko kayo pagkatapos na wala na itong COVID,” he said. “‘Pag kayo ang na-detain, bahala kayo sa pagkain ninyo.”

[Translation: I will order you detained and I will release you after this COVID-19 crisis is over…If you are detained, you are on your own when it comes to food.]

The President also ordered the police and the military to patrol and look out for anyone who may assault health workers, after a health worker in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat was allegedly attacked by strangers by throwing bleach at his face.

“‘Wag kayong mag-istambay diyan sa estasyon," Duterte said. "Maglakad kayo, tandem at maghanap kayo ng mga taong bastos. At kung mahuli mo, kung ano ang binubuhos niya sa health worker o sa doktor, ibuhos mo rin sa kanya para tabla."

[Translation: Don’t just stand around at the station. Walk around, in tandem and find rude people. If you catch them, whatever they are pouring over the health worker or doctor, pour it also over him to be fair.]

Duterte had earlier approved restrictions on the movement of people, ordering most to stay at home as he placed the entire island of Luzon under an enhanced community quarantine to contain the spread of COVID-19. The quarantine is scheduled to last until April 13.

The country has recorded 2,311 patients with the viral disease, with 96 dead. Only 50 have recovered so far.