Defend freedom, Philippines' Aquino says ahead of Duterte handover

MANILA: Philippine leader Benigno Aquino called on his countrymen Sunday to fight attempts to take away their freedoms as he prepared to hand over power to President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, who has vowed to kill tens of thousands of criminals.

Duterte won last month's elections in a landslide largely on a pledge to suppress what he said was rampant crime, and has since vowed to award large bounties to police as well as civilians who kill drug dealers.