House rights panel invite Duterte, Bato to face drug war probe

The House committee on human rights has invited former President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa to its hearing on alleged extrajudicial killings during the previous administration's war on drugs.

This developed after the House human rights panel adopted the motion of House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas of Gabriela party-list to invite Duterte, Dela Rosa, and other police officials accused of killing drug suspects on mistaken identity, if not deliberately, as testified by the slain victims' kin on Tuesday.

Likewise, Brosas made a motion to invite former Senator Leila de Lima to testify as the latter faced three counts of drug charges during Duterte's term, which were all later dismissed by the courts.

The motions were carried without opposition after some of victims' kin took turns testifying how the police barged into their homes late at night and killed their husbands and sons, including minors, without serving search or arrest warrants.

"As much as I want to give the due courtesy to the former President and Senator Dela Rosa, because of the gravity of the statements made here... they should face these people and hear their complaints," House human rights panel chairperson and Manila lawmaker Bienvenido Abante said.

Dela Rosa served as the Philippine National Police (PNP) police chief during the Duterte administration from July 2016 to April 2018.

"Maybe the former President would find it in his heart to realize what he has done in the past six years," Abante added.

The victims' kin who testified during the hearing were from Cebu and Caloocan City.

Raquel Lopez, the mother of Rabby Lopez who was killed in Cebu police anti-drug operations, shed tears when she told her story.

"Parang baboy po ang pagtrato sa anak ko. Kawawa naman iyong anak ko, your honor. Napakabait ng anak ko, your honor. Wala po siyang record ng droga o pang aabuso. Napakasakit po," Lopez said in Bisaya.

(My son was treated like a pig. I pity my son. He was very kind. He did not have any record of involvement with drugs or abuses. It is so painful.)

Jennifer Padlan, daughter of Lucas Padlan Sr. who was killed in Barangay Bagong Silang in Caloocan City, said policemen in plainclothes barged into their home, looking for a certain Pilo.

She pleaded and repeatedly said there was no Pilo in their home but the police still dragged her father to the kitchen, under the sink, before shooting him to death.

"Sumisigaw po siya, nanghihingi ng tulong, wala po kaming magawa. Balot po kami ng takot," Jennifer said.

(My father was shouting for help, but we couldn't do anything. We were so fearful.)

Lawyer Kristina Conti, the counsel to the families of those killed during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, said the former President was ultimately responsible for the extrajudicial killings.

She referred to the allegedly systematic killings in the Duterte administration's campaign against drugs.

In a speech before new career government officials in Malacañang in 2018, then President Duterte said, "Ano kasalanan ko? Nagnakaw ba ako dyan ni piso? Did I prosecute somebody na pinakulong ko? Ang kasalanan ko lang 'yung mga extrajudicial killing."

(What is my crime here? Did I steal from public coffers of even a peso? Did I prosecute somebody and send this person to jail? My only fault is the extrajudicial killings.)

“We filed a communication before the ICC (International Criminal Court) indicting him as the most responsible for crimes against humanity for all the drug war killings," Conti said.

"This is under Article 25 and 28 of the Rome Statute. Article 25  because of his speeches and statements and Article 28  for his command responsibility as someone who should have known or who knew and yet consciously disregarded the information,” she added.

“Extrajudicial killings are killings done outside of the legal framework, meaning no court or tribunal ordered the execution,” Conti added.

Salvacion Ramos, kin of Cristeta Ramos who was shot dead by four unidentified men in 2017, agreed with Conti that the former President was ultimately responsible.

"Sabi ni Duterte, magtayo ng mga punenarya kasi maraming papatayin na mga adik. At iyong mga pulis na pumapatay, wala pong makukulong. Iyan ang mga binitawang salita ni Duterte," Salvacion said.

"Iyong anak ko, binaba sa bahay ng kapatid niya. Binaril sa pwet, tapos tatlo sa ulo. Nawasak ang ulo ng anak ko sa likod, hindi ko po mayakap kasi wasak po ang bungo," she added.

(Duterte said before that people should build more funeral homes because drug addicts will be killed, and that the police officials who kill, they won't be jailed. That is what he said. My child, she was shot in the back, and shot in the head three times. I want to hug my daughter but I cannot even hug her since her skull was destroyed.)

"Kumuha ako ng kumot para mayakap ko lang siya, pero hindi pa rin. Kumuha ako ng isa pang kumot para mayakap ko siya. Wala na siyang hininga. Iyong kapatid niya, hahabulin sana iyong pumatay pero pinigilan," Salvacion said.

"Sabi ko, anak, dito lang tayo kasi papatayin tayo lahat niya. Wala tayo magagawa," she added.

(I had to get a blanket so I could hug her, but it wasn't enough. I had to bring out another blanket to hug her but she had already stopped breathing. Her brother wanted to go after the killer but I told him to stand down because we might all be killed. We cannot do anything.)

GMA News Online has reached out to former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea for comment and will publish his reply as soon as it becomes available. —VDV/NB, GMA Integrated News