By Brian Campued
Former president Rodrigo Duterte’s testimonies during the public hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee on the war on drugs were made under oath and thus cannot be dismissed as a “joke,” Senate President Francis Escudero said Tuesday.
Noting that Duterte’s allies would often downplay his controversial remarks as “merely words said in jest,” Escudero stressed that the former president cannot claim the same this time.
“Ang pinagkaiba kahapon, lahat ng binitiwan niyang salita kahapon ay under oath. Pinanumpahan at sinabi niya na ’yan ay totoo abot sa kaniyang nalalaman na puwedeng magamit kung saka-sakali pabor o laban sa kaniya,” the Senate President said.
Escudero also pointed out that Duterte’s statements during Monday’s Senate inquiry were recorded and transcribed for the perusal of the public and other interested parties, particularly the families of the victims of extrajudicial killings.
To recall, the former Chief Executive said in his opening statement that he takes “full legal responsibility” for the “successes and shortcomings” of his administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.
Duterte also confirmed the existence of a “death squad” in Davao City under his command made up of gangsters and not of police officers tasked to carry out extrajudicial murders.
“I think he is proud of the things he did and said. Hindi niya ikinakahiya ang kaniyang ginawa at sinabi. Maliwanag ’yon sa kanyang statement kahapon. Ang sinabi niya kahapon ay ‘I am willing to take full responsibility, me, just me.’ Paano mo io-operationalize ’yon na ‘ako lang’? So siguro paraan ito ni Pangulong Duterte para i-operationalize ’yon. Kaya siguro matapang niyang hinaharap, sinasagot at inaamin ang mga bagay na ’yan,” Escudero said.
Escudero also underscored the importance of due process as the Constitution does not allow anyone to take the law in their 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.’ ’Yon 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 [lang] ng sinuman, kundi ng pamahalaan [din] at sinumang nakaupo sa pamahalaan,” he said.
“Hindi mo puwede ilagay sa kamay mo ang batas. Kahit nga ’yong 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 added. (with report from Daniel Manalastas/PTV News)
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