Duterte calls UN ‘inutile’ after Pinoy seafarers fell victims to pirates

Duterte calls UN ‘inutile’ after Pinoys fell victims to pirates
VIRGIL LOPEZ November 28, 2019 https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/717180/duterte-calls-un-inut...

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday accused the United Nations (UN) of not taking “punitive” action against pirates that have victimized Filipino seafarers.

Duterte called the UN, which has made critical statements against the Philippines’ war on drugs, an “inutile body.”

“It has been an inutile body actually. The United Nations has failed to establish order in this planet. And that is why everybody is just to each his own. It has not established order. It has not prevented wars,” he said in a speech at the awarding ceremony of child-friendly cities and municipalities in Malacañang.

“It has not take[n] any punitive, strong action against the pirates.”

Duterte recalled telling South Korea that he would deploy a Navy ship after a South Korean, along with three Filipino engineers, were kidnapped by armed men off a water project site in western Libya in July 2018. They were eventually released in March this year.

“Sabi ko, kung pumayag ka, I will send my Navy ships there at patrol the areas,” he said.

“And whenever you see the idiots there, fire your cannons and blast them to kingdom come. Do not give them a chance to live and to kidnap again.”

Duterte said Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista, a former Army chief, might coordinate with the Philippine Navy for the deployment of Navy forces that will destroy the pirates.

“Baka talaga na he will coordinate with the Navy and I will send the Navy there. And ‘pag nakita nila ‘yung mga… Patayin na lang nila. Tabla-tabla na lang,” he said.

Piracy and ransom kidnappings of Filipino sailors by pirates in the dangerous African waters have long been a problem for the Philippine government as they lack the capacity to monitor their movements when at sea.

The Philippines is one of the largest providers of shipping manpower in the world. —NB, GMA News

see also... https://seafarertimes.com/2018-19/node/3380; https://seafarertimes.com/2018-19/node/3358