Palace defends Duterte’s statement on ASG

President Rodrigo Duterte   REUTERS/Lean Daval Jr/File Photo

with Rita Salonga via RH News

Manila, Philippines - Malacanang was quick to defend President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement that he does not consider the Abu Sayyaf Group as criminals.

According to Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella, what the President was trying to say was that he was trying to put in context the actions of the ASG. That they were doing things out of desperation.

However, this does not mean that they are free from being punished by the law.  Abella added that the President made the assurance that ASG will be made liable to all the crimes they committed, especially kidnapping and beheading of their captives.

Duterte’s statement came amid his administration’s move to push for the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front-Misuari faction.

Prior to this, a lot of people were irked with the President’s statement, especially when the ASG have kidnapped a lot of people, and even executed some of their captives.