In his first interview since taking office 100 days ago, the brutal leader called innocent people killed in crossfire ‘collateral damage’
PHILIPPINES President Rodrigo Duterte was sexually abused by a Catholic priest as a child – a terrifying ordeal he admits now drives his deadly war on drugs.
Since celebrating 100 days in office, the ruthless leader’s genocide against his country’s drug dealers and users has resulted in 3,700 people being slaughtered.
Speaking to , in his first interview since taking office, the 71-year-old confirmed that being molested when he was younger shaped his character.
He said: “It's what you get along the way that shapes your character.”
Nicknamed The Punisher, Duterte claims he was “fondled” by a priest in the late 1950s while attending the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Davao High School.
After first admitting to the abuse in 2015, the hard-line ruler said that he was not the priest’s only victim and that he was too scared to report the assaults.
He said: “I was young then and I was afraid of what would happen. How could we complain? We were scared.”
While speaking to Al Jazeera, Duterte staunchly defended his savage war on drugs which has seen thousands killed.
He said: “We have three million drug addicts, and it's growing.
“So if we do not interdict this problem, the next generation will be having a serious problem.
“You destroy my country, I'll kill you. And it's a legitimate thing. If you destroy our young children, I will kill you. That is a very correct statement.
“There is nothing wrong in trying to preserve the interest of the next generation.”
The brutal leader also called innocent people, including children, killed in the crossfire “collateral damage.”
He said: “These lives lost - some of them were lost during legitimate encounters with the police.”
“I do not care about what the human rights guys say, I have a duty to preserve the generation.
“If it involves human rights, I don't give a sh**.”
World leaders and human rights groups have slammed Duterte’s signature policy which included him calling on citizens to kill drug dealers.
Nearly 4,000 people have been killed while 1,377 have been shot in police operations.
Despite the violence which has dominated his short reign, Duterte enjoys an approval rating of 86% among Filipinos, according to a Pulse Asia poll.
In a series of controversial statements, Duterte has compared himself to Hitler, branded President Obama “a son of a whore” and promised to exterminate three million people.
Last month, the brutal politician proudly declared he was “happy to slaughter” millions of drug addicts.
He said: “Hitler massacred three million Jews. Now there are three million drug addicts (in the Philippines).
“I’d be happy to slaughter them,” Duterte told reporters in his home city of Davao shortly after returning from Vietnam.
“At least if Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have,” he said, then paused.
“But you know, my victims, I would like to be (sic) all criminals to finish the problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition.”
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