At Senate probe, Duterte allies and critics clash on legacy of bloody drug war | ABS-CBN

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At Senate probe, Duterte allies and critics clash on legacy of bloody drug war

At Senate probe, Duterte allies and critics clash on legacy of bloody drug war

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

 | 

Updated Oct 28, 2024 08:50 PM PHT

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Former President Rodrigo Duterte takes his oath before the start of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on extrajudicial killings and alleged human rights violations in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News Former President Rodrigo Duterte takes his oath before the start of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on extrajudicial killings and alleged human rights violations in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News MANILA — Senators with opposing allegiances went head to head Monday as they kicked off their investigation into the previous administration's bloody war on drugs, in the presence of its chief architect, former President Rodrigo Duterte. 

Allies and critics of Duterte in the Senate gave clashing opening remarks on the controversial anti-drug campaign that took the lives of thousands of alleged drug suspects, mostly petty pushers and some supposedly innocent. 

It was no surprise when Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, who implemented Duterte's drug war while Philippine National Police chief, defended the program, even calling out legislators who supported it when Duterte was in power.

"As the former PNP Chief during the Duterte Administration, I have been tagged multiple times as the face of the war on drugs—the same war on drugs openly supported by both the Senate and the House of Representatives, and of course, supported by our people," Dela Rosa said.

Sen. Robinhood Padilla, another Duterte ally, said as an ex-convict who had a first hand experience with criminals, it was also important to shift the narrative in favor of those victimized by drug addicts. 

"Hindi po natin napag-usapan ang mga biktima ng mga durugista, kung paano pinapatay ang kanilang mga anak, pinapatay ang kanilang mga asawa... Kung paano sinira ng droga ang buhay ng mga pamilya ng OFW," Padilla said, repeating rhetoric from the early years of the drug war.

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(We don't talk about the victims of drug users, of how drug users killed their children, their spouses. How drugs ruined the lives of OFW families)

The neophyte senator then urged his colleagues to avoid the "politicization" of the drug war probe.

But Sen. Risa Hontiveros, a member of the Senate minority, did not mince words in criticizing the drug war in front of Duterte himself. 

"Dati, walang kagatol-gatol na nangako si President Rodrigo Duterte na papatayin niya ang kapwa niya Pilipino... alang-alang sa baluktot na pagkakaintindi niya sa kaayusan at kapayapaan," she said.

(President Rodrigo Duterte did not hesitate to promise that he would kill fellow Filipinos...for his crooked understanding of order and peace)

Hontiveros said the brutal drug war of Duterte was not something that the Filipino as a nation should be proud of. 

"There is no honor in punishment like tokhang. It should not be an honor to be called 'The Punisher,' when thousands of innocent people, including babies, have died in your name. Hindi kailanman ipagmamalaki ng mga Pilipino ang War on Drugs na yan," Hontiveros said.

Even Sen. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, chair of the Blue Ribbon sub-committee leading the landmark probe, could not believe that the drug war deaths were all due to suspects who "fought back" or "nanlaban."

"With thousands of deaths caused by the Duterte war on drugs, we have caused one death too many. Sobrang dami naman niyan para sabihin lamang na nanlaban (There are too many deaths to just say that they fought back)," Pimentel, once Senate president during the Duterte presidency, said. 

While official government data said 6,181 people were killed in Duterte's war on drugs, several rights group believed up to 30,000 may have been killed, some innocent victims, and that corruption was allegedly rife among security forces that acted with impunity.

During his turn to speak, Duterte said he takes "full responsibility" for the bloody anti-narcotics campaign but also denied that killing was policy.

The Senate's move to conduct its own drug war probe had been floated following several exposés from the House quad committee accusing Duterte and Sens. Christopher "Bong" Go, and Dela Rosa of incentivizing drug war killings — which the two senators denied.

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