Duterte offers kill bounty for rebels to save on war costs

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine president has offered a nearly $500 bounty for each communist rebel killed by government forces to save on anti-insurgency costs and says insurgents are easier to hit than birds because they have bigger heads.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s latest crass remarks came after human rights groups condemned him this week for saying troops should shoot female communist guerrillas in the genitals to render them “useless.”

Human Rights Watch says Duterte’s incendiary remarks encourage government forces to commit war crimes instead of instilling a culture of accountability in accordance with the law.

Duterte is already under international criticism and is facing a preliminary investigation by the International Criminal Court for thousands of deaths in the war on drugs he had launched shortly after assuming power two years ago.