An international coalition of antiwar and human rights groups are calling on the U.S. Congress to block two pending weapons sales to the Philippines — worth $2 billion — saying President Rodrigo Duterte has a legacy of human rights violations and that the weapons could be used to unleash violence on innocent Filipinos. In a letter to U.S. lawmakers, the coalition writes, “What could help the Filipinos right now is aid for their under-resourced healthcare system and for programs to assist poor people to survive during the current lockdown, not an arms sale.” This comes as Duterte has put the military in charge of the country’s COVID-19 response. In early April, Duterte ordered troops to “shoot dead” anyone violating quarantine.