Senate President Chiz Escudero said that the statements made by former President Rodrigo Duterte during a public hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee may be a first step for him toward taking full responsibility for the bloody war on drugs undertaken by his administration.
While noting that the testimonies made by Duterte during the Senate committee hearing were largely the same as when he was still in power, Escudero said the difference now is that he provided the latest utterances about the war on drugs under oath.
“Ang pinagkaiba kahapon, lahat ng binitiwan niyang salita kahapon ay under oath. Pinanumpaan at sinabi niya na ‘yan ay totoo abot sa kanyang nalalaman na pwedeng magamit kung saka-sakali pabor o laban sa kanya,” the veteran legislator stressed.
The seasoned lawmaker said the statements of Duterte were recorded and transcripts of the public hearing will be released for the reference of whichever party is interested and for the general public to peruse.
Unlike before when the spokespersons of former President Duterte defended his strong statements about the killing of drug personalities as merely words said in jest, the Senate chief said Duterte cannot claim the same now because he testified under oath.
“Hindi niya ikinakahiya ang kanyang ginawa at sinabi.”
“I think he is proud of the things he did and said. Hindi niya ikinakahiya ang kanyang ginawa at sinabi. Maliwanag ‘yun sa kanyang statement kahapon. Ang sinabi niya kahapon ay ‘I am willing to take full responsibility, me, just me.’ Paano mo i-ooperationalize ‘yun na ako lang? So siguro paraan ito ni Pangulong Duterte para i-operationalize ‘yun. Kaya siguro matapang niyang hinaharap, sinasagot at inaamin ang mga bagay na ‘yan,” he said.
Escudero took note of the fact that in relation to the killings committed as part of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs or during the time of Duterte as mayor of Davao City, not a single case had filed against him, his heads of the Philippine National Police and even the police chiefs of Davao City.
“Siya ‘yung walang kaso. Lahat ng former chief PNP at chief of police ng Davao City, walang kaso kaugnay sa pagpatay. Ang may mga kaso ‘yung mga pulis na tila nakapikit o nakapiring ‘yung mga mata o nakatakip ang mga tenga na sumunod at ginawa ‘yung akalain nila na dapat gawin. Sila ang may kaso, sila ang na-dismiss sa serbisyo, sila ang nakakulong ngayon,” he said.
From what he heard from Duterte, Escudero said, the former President was “pretty clear at what he was trying to say yesterday”.
Based on his experience with the former President over the years, he said Duterte “tends to do things that you do not expect”.
“Sa hinaba-haba na ng panahon, ang nagbabayad, ang nakulong, ang tinanggal sa serbisyo ay ‘yung mababang pulis at hindi ‘yung mga nasa taas, nag-utos man o hindi.”
“Siguro kaya malakas loob niya kahapon ay dahil gusto na niya akuin na ‘yung responsibilidad dahil sa hinaba-haba na ng panahon, ang nagbabayad, ang nakulong, ang tinanggal sa serbisyo ay ‘yung mababang pulis at hindi ‘yung mga nasa taas, nag-utos man o hindi,” Escudero added.
As a lawyer, he emphasized that the Constitution does not allow anyone to take the law in his or her own hands, regardless of motive or justification.
“Ang problema ay ang kauna-unahang probisyon sa Bill of Rights, nakalagay sa Article 3, Section 1 na ‘No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.’ ‘Yun ang kauna-unahang karapatan na nilagay sa ating Saligang Batas na pinag-aralan ng lahat ng mga abogado kaugnay sa karapatang pantao na dapat galangin, hindi ng sinuman, kundi ng pamahalaan at sino mang nakaupo sa pamahalaan,” Escudero explained.
“Hindi mo pwede ilagay sa kamay mo ang batas. Kahit nga ‘yung gobyerno hindi nilalagay sa kamay niya ang batas, dinadaan niya sa proseso. A civilized government can do nothing less than to provide and ensure due process to anyone and everyone, gaano man kasama, gaano man kabigat sa dibdib natin,” he said.
Escudero said it is now up to the interested parties to decide on what they intend to do with the testimony of Duterte, particularly the families of the victims of drug war.
