Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is known worldwide for his violent crackdown on illegal drugs but his common-law wife, Cielito “Honeylet” Avanceña said he does not order the Philippine National Police (PNP) to kill those with drug links.
During a speech at the launch of Life After Tokhang, a community-based rehab project yesterday, she defended the president and said: “If the president indeed ordered the killings of drug addicts, then why is there rehabilitation in many parts of the country, particularly in Davao City?” she said.
However, this is not in line with the president’s previous statements.
Duterte has said repeatedly that the police can shoot drug suspects who resist arrest and has also said that he would protect police who have killed as many as 1,000 people while on the job.
A recent survey by Social Weather Survey revealed that most Filipinos don’t believe drug suspects killed in police operations fought back.
The Life After Tokhang program is a recovery project for drug addicts headed by the PNP.
Avanceña also called out past presidents for not addressing the drug problem in the country.
“Why is it that past presidents, some older than me, did not address the drug problem in the country as much and as hard as the present president?” she said.
She also said that as soon as the administration establishes a federal form of government — one of Duterte’s campaign promises — he will step down from the presidency.
“I assure you he’s going to step down the soonest time the federal government is established. Everything is set up already,” Avanceña said.
Avanceña is not technically the First Lady of the Philippines but she has taken up some of the responsibilities usually assigned to one. Last month, she attended a luncheon for the United Nations General Assembly in New York after being “personally invited” by United States Fist Lady Melania Trump.
In her speech yesterday, Avanceña said she took that time to spread awareness about the Philippines’ current situation.
“I was trying to help out in my own little way…to tell the people what’s happening in our country,” she said.
The New York trip was controversial because it is unclear where the funding for the trip came from even though the government said that it was a “personal trip” and that Avanceña was not part of the official delegation.
During the same trip, she was spotted watching the Broadway musical Miss Saigon, and riding a limousine.
