Ex-Pres. Duterte: I take full, legal responsibility for drug war

While being firm that he will not apologize for his administration's war on drugs, former President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday told a congressional hearing that he will take “full, legal responsibility” on the matter. 

Speaking before the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee, Duterte, who asked the panel for him to be treated as a “witness,” defended the police officials who executed the drug war, saying he himself will take responsibility for the drug war killings during his administration. 

“I and I alone, take full legal responsibility sa lahat ng nagawa ng mga pulis pursuant to my order. Ako ang managot at ako ang makulong. ‘Wag ang pulis na sumunod sa order ko. Kawawa naman, nagtatrabaho lang,” Duterte said. 

(I and I alone, take full legal responsibility for everything the police had done pursuant to my order. I will be responsible and I should be the one imprisoned. Don't blame the police who just followed my order. They were just doing their jobs.) 

Duterte also said that he carried out the bloody drug war in order to protect Filipinos. According to him, he tried his best to address the country’s problem on illegal drugs “firmly and without compromise.”

'I did what I had to do'

“My mandate as President of the Republic was to protect the country and the Filipino people. Do not question my policies because I offer no apologies, no excuses. I did what I had to do. Whether you believe it or not, I did for my country,” he said. 

“The war on drugs is not about killing people. It is about protecting the innocent and the defenseless. The war on drugs is about the eradication of illegal substances such as shabu, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, party drugs, and the like,” Duterte added.

The former president also said he told the police and soldiers not to abuse their authority and power both when he was mayor of Davao City and when he was President. 

However, he pointed out that it is the responsibility of the police to “overcome the resistance” if the criminals do not want to surrender. 

“At kung may baril, at kung sa tingin mo ay mamamatay ka, barilin mo. Barilin mo sa ulo. Patayin mo. At least one less criminal in the community. ‘Yun ang utos ko when I was a fiscal and when I was a professor sa police academy,” Duterte said. 

(If there's a gun, and if you think you're going to die, shoot the criminal. Shoot him in the head. Kill him. At least, there’s one less criminal in the community. That was my order when I was a fiscal and when I was a professor at the police academy.) 

Victims, not criminals

Duterte said he has always viewed people addicted to illegal drugs as victims and patients requiring medical help and not as criminals.

“No mistake about it, I hate drugs. I loathe the purveyors, the merchants, and the pushers of this demonizing element. I have not failed to emphasize this from the very day of the campaign when I ran for the presidency in 2016. This was my covenant to Filipinos who believed in me,” he said. 

‘Do not pin me down’ 

Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros asked Duterte if he can say that he is also responsible for the deaths of young extrajudicial killing victims Kian delos Santos and Mark Anthony Nunez. 

But the former chief executive did not take the question well. 

“I take full responsibility 'yung sinabi ko na War on Drugs. Pero kung magpasok ka ng specific crime, hindi pwede ‘yan. Kung sabihin kong I take full responsibility, pagdating tayo sa korte, hindi naman tatanggapin ‘yan!” Duterte irritably replied.

(I take full responsibility for the War on Drugs. But if you ask me about specific crimes, I think that’s not right. If I say that I take full responsibility, the court would not even recognize that!) 

Hontiveros asked Duterte to tone down his voice, but the latter continued. 

“You are trying to pin me down,” said Duterte.

“Mr. Chair, you are pinned down by your own statement,” Hontiveros replied.

“You have to pin me down lawfully,” said Duterte.

This forced Senator Koko Pimentel to suspend the hearing for a few minutes.

“The exchanges are no longer productive, the hearing is suspended,” said Pimentel.

But the former president continued to respond, “Do not pin me down on semantics.”

Government records show that there were at least 6,200 drug suspects killed in police operations from June 2016 to November 2021, but several human rights groups have refuted this and say that the number may have reached as much as 30,000 due to unreported related killings. —KBK/RF, GMA Integrated News