Free Republic

Philippines' president-elect Rodrigo Duterte vowed Sunday to reintroduce capital punishment and give security forces "shoot-to-kill" orders in a devastating war on crime. In his first press conference since winning the May 9 elections in a landslide, the tough-talking mayor of southern Davao city warned his campaign threats to kill were not rhetoric. "What I will do is urge Congress to restore (the) death penalty by hanging," Duterte, 71, told a press conference in Davao. He also said he would give security forces "shoot-to-kill" orders against organised criminals or those who violently resisted arrest. "If you resist, show violent resistance, my...

State media report gunmen have kidnapped four people, including two Canadians and a Norwegian, from a resort in the southern Philippines. The official Philippines news agency reports the abductions took place Monday evening at the Oceanview Resort on Samal Island. ... The three foreigners are male, and the Norwegian is the manager of the resort. The southern Philippines has been plagued by unrest involving Islamist militants in recent years, including the taking of foreign hostages.