Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said that he would support the war against illegal drugs by the Duterte administration as long as the law enforcers respect the human rights of the suspects.
On July 4, Moreno said that he would keep his opinion about the actions of the Duterte administration towards drug suspects, meaning that only God has the right to end the lives of anybody.
However, he added that law enforcers also have the right to fight back if the suspects tried to resist the authorities who wanted to detain them.
“I made a commitment during the campaign that human rights must be respected. But our law enforcers also have human rights,” Moreno said.
Moreno made the statement, several days after he met Manila Police District director Brigadier General Vicente Danao during a first command conference on Monday.
General Danao is a former Davao City police chief like Senator Ronald Dela Rosa.
Moreno and Danao both agreed to respect due process when they’re pursuing lawbreakers.
The new Manila City Mayor also made a statement that always being said that the President when defending Oplan Tokhang.
“Ibig sabihin kapag nalagay na sa alanganin yung lespu o yung buhay niya, e may karapatan naman siyang proteksyonan ang kanyang buhay,” Moreno said.
Meanwhile, Senator Leila De Lima praised Moreno for respecting human rights.
“I hope that other mayors will follow Isko’s lead and put more premium on respecting human rights and giving importance to the dignity of human life,” the senator said.
De Lima is a known human rights advocate and a critic of the Duterte administration.