Duterte: Kill a Communist and Receive $470

THE PHILIPPINES president has offered a £340 [$468 USD] bounty for each communist rebel killed by government forces in a bid to save on the state’s anti-insurgency costs.

...Mr Duterte said in a speech to troops at an air base in central Cebu city, referring to New People’s Army guerrillas: “You kill an NPA today and I’ll pay you 25,000 pesos.

“I was computing that if this drags on for four years, … it’ll be very expensive because it’s war. If I’ll just pay 25,000 for a life, I can save about 47 percent.”

His comments drew laughter from the crowd.

There was no elaboration on how he came up with those figures and whether or how the government would pay for claimed kills. Backing up his offer, the brash-talking president encouraged state forces to go for the kill.

Mr Duterte added: “If you work really hard to crawl across the forest, you’ll surely be able to shoot even just one. If you can shoot a bird above you, then how much more an NPA whose head is so big?” Once again, his remarks made the crowd laugh.