Pledge to arm Philippine community chiefs sparks 'Wild West' fears

Duterte CC flickr prachatai

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Pledge to arm Philippine community chiefs sparks 'Wild West' fears

14 June 2018

By Nicola Smith

The Philippines interior ministry said on Wednesday that it plans to acquire pistols for community leaders willing to fight crime, sparking fears of more lawless bloodshed in the country’s violent crackdown on drugs. Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine president, said on Tuesday that he was considering arming community leaders, known as “barangay” captains, after pledging that officials who opted to fight the war against drugs would have his full support. Last week he promised to provide the same legal protection to barangay captains as he did to soldiers or police, vowing that they “will never go to jail” if they shot suspected criminals while performing their official duties.