Acop on drug war deaths: Admit it, we kept silent

"We remained silent. Tanggapin na po natin ‘yun."

These were the words of a congressman at a hearing on the Philippines' bloody war on drugs on Tuesday. 

On the third day of its inquiry into the deaths of thousands of Filipinos—many during police operations—when former President Rodrigo Duterte was in office, the House committee on human rights heard from the families of those who lost loved ones.

After the testimonies, Antipolo lawmaker Romeo Acop conceded that both the public and elected officials stayed quiet about the rampant drug killings for too long.

“Noong panahong ito iyong pinakamainit na issue, we remained silent. Tanggapin na po natin ‘yun. Kung totoo naman eh aminin na po natin,” he said.

(When this was the most pressing issue, we remained silent. Let's accept it. If it's the truth, then we should acknowledge it.)

“One, it is because of fear, and two, because of approval of certain sectors of society—those in the barangay who were saying na tumahimik ang lugar nila, na kahit sa gabi okay na naglalakad [that their area had become peaceful, that you could safely walk at night]. Ito ang rason bakit may katahimikan [This is why there has been silence],” Acop, the House committee on public order and safety chairperson and a former police officer, added.

The panel has invited both the former president and Senator Ronald dela Rosa—Duterte's PNP chief from 2016 to 2018—to explain the drug war deaths before the inquiry.

GMA News Online has reached out to the Duterte camp for comment.

Human rights

Manila Representative Bienvenido "Benny" Abante, who chairs the committee, also said that the public should refrain from electing leaders and public officials who violate human rights.

“I don't care if this will be unpopular, but what we are after here is the truth. The truth will set you free. So for the next elections, huwag na natin hayaan manalo iyong mga hindi naniniwala sa human rights, iyong walang compassion, iyong hindi naniniwala sa due process of law,” he said.

(Let’s not vote for those who don’t care about human rights, those who don’t have compassion, those who don’t follow due process of law.)

“Bawat Pilipino, kahit anong katayuan sa buhay, may karapatan [Every Filipino, no matter their station in life, has rights]. So we will continue this. I don’t care if this will be unpopular. What we are after is the truth. The truth will set you free,” Abante added.

Filipinos also to blame

In the same vein, Acop said that the drug war deaths cannot be blamed solely on the government, pointing out that the country's leaders are democratically elected.

“Hindi rin natin masasabi na mga leaders lang natin [ang dapat sisihin]. Kasalanan rin natin, e. Kasi hindi mauupo sa pwesto ‘yan kung hindi natin sila ibinoto,” Acop said.

[We also can't say only our leaders are to blame. It's also our fault. Because they wouldn't have been in power if we didn't vote for them.]

"At kahit hindi mo ibinoto [And even if you didn't vote for them], we are a democratic country. The majority rules. So these people who came into power, so their policies were the ones implemented," he added.

“Kung titignan natin iyong iniluklok natin [noong 2016], compare with different presidents of this country, siya ang pinakamataas [ang popularity rating]. Up to now, he still has a sizeable popularity, and they will even run for the Senate. Nasa inyo ang desisyon,” Acop added, referring to Vice President Sara Duterte's announcement on Tuesday that her father and her brothers are planning to run for Senate seats in 2025.

(If we look at who we elected, compared with different presidents of this country, he has the highest rating. The decision is yours.) — BM, GMA Integrated News