Manila,<\/p>\n
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte is taking seriously the US Intelligence Community\u2019s report tagging the firebrand leader a threat to democracy in<\/p>\n
Southeast Asia, his spokesman said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The report, produced by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, places Duterte alongside Cambodian\u2019s Hun Sen, the Rohingya crisis and Thailand\u2019s<\/p>\n
military-backed constitution as threats to democracy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe view this declaration from no less than the intelligence department of the United States with some concern…,\u201d presidential spokesman Harry Roque told<\/p>\n
DZMM radio.<\/p>\n
Roque rejected the US Intelligence assessment of Duterte as a threat to democracy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not think that\u2019s true. He is a lawyer, he knows the law, he wants to uphold the rule of law, he knows about the bill of rights,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Democracy and human rights in many Southeast Asian nations will remain fragile in 2018 because of autocratic tendencies, rampant corruption and cronyism,<\/p>\n
the US Intelligence Community said in its Worldwide Threat Assessment report dated February.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the Philippines, President Duterte will continue to wage his signature campaign against drugs, corruption, and crime,\u201d the report read, adding that Duterte has<\/p>\n
suggested he could suspend the constitution and declare a revolutionary government.<\/p>\n
This is not the first time the United States has criticised Duterte, who is notorious for his defiance of international pressure. Duterte was infuriated by<\/p>\n
expressions of concern by former President Barack Obama\u2019s administration about drug-war killings in the Philippines.<\/p>\n
More than 4,000 people have been killed in what police call legitimate operations against suspected drug dealers and users under the Duterte\u2019s signature war<\/p>\n
on drugs since July 2016.<\/p>\n
Rights group accused police of summary executions, which authorities refute.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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