Coronavirus: man with scythe shot dead after defying Philippine virus officials
- The man, believed to have been drunk, was cautioned by a health worker ‘for not wearing a face mask’, according to a police report
- He began attacking officials with a scythe and was killed by a police officer who was trying to pacify him
The man is believed to have been drunk when he threatened village officials and police manning the checkpoint in the town of Nasipit in the southern province of Agusan del Norte on Thursday, a police report said.
“The suspect was cautioned by a village health worker … for not wearing a face mask,” the report said. “But the suspect got angry, uttering provoking words and eventually attacked the personnel using a scythe.”
The suspect was shot dead by a police officer who was trying to pacify him.
The Philippines’ main island of Luzon has been under a month-long lockdown since March 16, prohibiting people from leaving their homes except for essential trips to the grocery or the pharmacy, or if they are front-line workers.
Many provinces outside Luzon have also imposed their own restrictions in a bid to prevent the virus from spreading.
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Duterte defended his warning against troublemakers in a late-night televised address on Friday, saying that the public needed to realise the gravity of the situation because anyone can get sick of the disease.
“Without these restrictions, this will not end,” he said. “So if you don't want to follow, then I will finish you to protect the lives of the innocent who don't want to die.”
Amnesty International lamented the fact that autocratic leaders around the world like Duterte have been using the Covid-19 pandemic “to further stifle criticism and dissent”.
“This is an unprecedented health crisis – but President Duterte is focusing on attacking freedoms of speech and assembly,” said Butch Olano, a director for Amnesty International in the Philippines.
“He is downplaying the nation’s plea for better services when the priority should be to fulfil the government's obligation to provide health care and vital relief to all persons without discrimination,” he added.
The government has begun to distribute cash assistance to poor families and workers affected by the lockdown under a 200-billion-peso (US$4 billion) amelioration package.
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But there have been persistent complaints of delays in the delivery of assistance, especially food packs.
On Wednesday, commotion broke out in a Manila suburb when a group of slum residents gathered outside their shanty homes after hearing rumours that donations would be distributed.
Village security officers and police urged the residents to go back to their homes, but they refused.
Twenty-one of the residents were arrested and various criminal charges have been filed against them.
