Palace to Honeylet: We wouldn’t want to congratulate Duterte on EJKs
Honeylet Avanceña — Malacañang file photo
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Friday told former president Rodrigo Duterte’s domestic partner, Honeylet Avanceña, not to make fun of the recent reported kidnappings and killings in the country, a move it said it would never do on the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) allegedly perpetrated by her husband.
“’Wag niyo po gawing issue, dahil may buhay pong dito nakasalalay, may mga buhay pong nawala. ‘Wag niyo gawing issue ito at gawing katatawanan ang gobyerno, hindi natin malaman bakit ganoon ang attitude ni Ms. Honeylet,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a Palace press conference.
(Please don’t turn this into an issue, lives are at stake here, and lives have already been lost. Don’t use this as a political issue or make a mockery of the government. We don’t understand why Ms. Honeylet is showing such an attitude.)
“’Wag na po sana mamutawi sa inyong bibig ang ganitong klaseng pananalita, dahil hindi rin po natin gugustuhing i-congratulate ang dating presidente sa mga nagawang EJKs dahil buhay po ang pinaguusapan natin dito,” she added.
(Let us refrain from making such statements because we wouldn’t want to congratulate the former President for the EJKs that took place because we are talking about human lives here.)
According to Castro, Avanceña’s remarks were disheartening as these are topics not meant to be made fun of, or turned into a mere political issue to mock the government.
Castro said Filipinos should instead unite to help progress the country and show the world that Filipinos stand together.
“‘Wag silang gumawa ng gulo dahil hindi po ‘yan maganda, ‘wag simulan ang gulo sa pamamagitan ng pagbigay ng ganitong klaseng remarks o pananalita,” she said.
(They should not stir up trouble because that does no good. Let us not start conflict by making these remarks or statements.)
Castro then maintained that the Marcos administration continues to condemn every crime happening in the country.
With the creation of a Special Investigation Task Force to focus on the case of murdered businessman Anson Que, Castro assured the public that the government will not ignore this kind of situation.
“Kaya makakaasa po ang taong bayan at ang buong sambayanan na hindi po tutulugan ng gobyerno ang ganitong klaseng sitwasyon,” said Castro.
(That’s why the public and the entire nation can be assured that the government will not turn a blind eye to this kind of situation.)
“Pananatilihin natin na magkakaroon ng hustisya, bibigyan ng hustisya ang dapat na bigyan ng hustisya at hindi natin hahayaan na mangyari ulit ang naganap sa mga biktima ng EJKs,” she added.
(We will ensure that justice is served, that those who deserve justice will receive it, and we will not allow what happened to the victims of EJKs to happen again.)
It was in a chance interview in The Hague, where Duterte is currently detained for crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC), when Avanceña poked fun at the recent spate of kidnappings in the country by congratulating President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Her exact words were: “Congratulations ha, sa Pilipinas, may pinatay at kinidnap na naman, ganiyan ang gusto niyo? Sige, congratulations. Dalawa sa cities sa Pilipinas ang dangerous place — congratulations again. Congratulations BBM (Bongbong Marcos).”
(Congratulations! In the Philippines, someone was killed and kidnapped again, is that what you want? Go ahead then, congratulations. Two cities in the Philippines are now considered dangerous places—congratulations again. Congratulations, BBM.)
The ICC currently has custody of the elder Duterte after he was arrested and sent to The Hague for crimes against humanity he allegedly committed during his administration’s bloody war against drugs.
READ: War on drugs: The violence, scars, doubts and families it left behind
Duterte’s war against drugs left at least 6,000 people dead, with human rights groups reporting at least 20,000.
