Philippines: Rodrigo Duterte says he will eat militants with salt and vinegar

But Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte could earn himself another moniker as The Seasoner after vowing to eat militants alive — with some salt and vinegar on the side.

An angry Duterte unleashed on militants following the brutal abduction and beheading of two Vietnamese sailors in the southern region of Mindanao.

The remains of the two hostages, who were kidnapped along with four other crew members of a Vietnamese cargo ship in November last year, were recovered by Philippine troops on Wednesday.

The military blamed the killings on the notorious kidnap-for-ransom Abu Sayyaf group which has a stronghold in the region.

The terror group is also renowned for beheading hostages.

Duterte didn’t hold back on the militants who have been wreaking havoc across the region and engaging in deadly gunbattles with government forces.

“I will eat your liver if you want me to,” he said.

“Give me salt and vinegar and I will eat it in front of you.”

“I eat everything. I am not picky. I eat even what cannot be swallowed.”

The President held up a photo of the two dead sailors and said: “Will we allow ourselves to be enslaved by these people? Son of a whore.”

It’s not the first time Duterte has threatened to eat terrorists.

Last year, the leader said he would eat Abu Sayyaf militants alive in a bloodthirsty vow of revenge following a bombing in Davao, his southern home city, that claimed 15 lives.

Duterte ordered a military offensive against the Abu Sayyaf and other militants in southern Philippines last year.

Abu Sayyaf, originally a loose network of militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network, has splintered into factions, with some continuing to engage in banditry and kidnappings.

One faction has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, and joined militants battling security forces since late May in Marawi, the largely Catholic nation’s most important Islamic city.

The militants continue to occupy parts of the southern city despite a US-backed military offensive there that has claimed more than 460 lives and displaced nearly 400,000 people.

‘MUSLIM ONLY ID’

Philippine authorities have been engaged in a deadly battle with Islamic militants in the

Mindanao region.

In May, dozens were killed when gunmen from the local terrorist organisations Maute Group and Abu Sayyaf rampaged through Marawi city.

Duterte declared martial law across the southern part of the Philippines following repeated warnings to place the south, the scene of decades-long Muslim separatist uprisings, under martial law.

Meanwhile Philippine authorities have proposed a mandatory identification card system for Muslims in a move which has alarmed human rights groups.

Authorities in Central Luzon in the northern Philippines proposed imposing the system for the region’s estimated 26,000 Muslims.

Chief Superintendent Aaron Aquino said an ID system for Muslims may help authorities and Muslim community leaders identify and weed out undesirable individuals and terrorists, Rappler reported.

It would apply in the provinces of Pampanga, Bataan, Bulacan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija and Aurora.

“This system is a good practice from Paniqui, Tarlac, and we want this to be replicated in all Muslim communities in the whole region for easy and efficient identification of our Muslim brothers and sisters,” he said.

He insisted the ID system already in place in the town of Paniqui was working well.

HRW said the cards were introduced in Paniqui, in Tarlac province, two weeks ago and authorities have been urged to replicate the idea throughout Central Luzon’s seven provinces.

Last month, Duterte blasted Muslim leaders in Marawi City and accused them of allowing terrorists to enter the city “and cause trouble.”

HRW Asian division researcher Carlos H Conde said the initiative was discriminatory and potentially violated rights.

He said requiring Muslim-only IDs in response to a perceived failure of Muslims to prevent Islamist fighters from entering Marawi City was a form of collective punishment.

Human rights groups have also been highly critical following the President’s bloody crackdown on drugs and crime which has seen 3171 drug suspects killed in police since he took power last June.

Police are investigating the deaths of more than 10,000 other people to determine if these murders were related to illegal drugs.

debra.killalea@news.com.au