PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte assured Tuesday that the Philippines would remain a democratic country, where the Filipino people will enjoy their liberty.
In his visit to the Philippine Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, the President clarified that he was not a fascist person and that the country would never be into fascism.
"[The Philippines] is no fascist state where you can accost any person. That’s not the way of democracy," Duterte said.
This was the 71-year-old chief executive's statement even after he revealed that he was being compared to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler who killed about six million Jews in 1940s, thus, said that he would also be "happy to slaughter" three million Filipino drug addicts.
Duterte has repeatedly apologized to the Jews community after being criticized for his inappropriate statement.
Apart from all-out war against drug personalities, Duterte had also ordered to address the terrorism in the country.
Duterte had declared state of lawlessness to counter terrorism and strengthen the campaign against illicit drug sale. He, however, had clarified that such order was not equivalent to Martial Law.
In a separate speech delivered shortly after his camp visit, Duterte said that all he wanted for the Philippines is to have long-lasting peace.
"I am a no wartime president. I was elected in an environment where democracy was being laid out. I am the president who would seek peace for my land," he said at the 2016 Sulong Pilipinas: Local Governance Series held at Mayuree Grand Ballroom, Dusit Thani, Makati City.
"I don't have the ambition to continue [war] because it could not only sap the human Filipino spirit but everybody. Everything and hatred would continue and continue and continue," he added. (Sunnex)
