Duterte vows won’t repeat mistakes of ex-president of Colombia

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President Rodrigo Duterte assured on Friday he would not repeat the mistakes of ex-Colombian President Cesar Gaviria in his brutal war on drugs as he stepped up his attacks against the former leader.

“Itong ex-president ng Colombia, sabi niya (The ex-president of Colombia said), ‘Duterte is committing the same mistakes.’ We can never [make] the same mistake because I am not [as] stupid as you are,” Duterte said in a speech in a business forum in Davao City.

“That (mistake) is only possible, Mr. ex-President, if I am stupid as you,” he added.

Duterte earlier called Gaviria an “idiot” for telling him that the war on drugs could not be won by the police and the military alone.

READ: Ex-president of Colombia an idiot – Duterte

In a New York Times opinion column, Gaviria told Duterte that “the drug menace cannot be solved by the ‘heavy-handed’ approach of killing drug addicts.” RAM/rga