DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 28 October) – Former President Rodrigo R. Duterte acknowledged Monday that his administration’s controversial war on drugs was not perfect and that it had shortcomings.
Duterte appeared at the Senate investigation, in aid of legislation, conducted by the Blue Ribbon Committee’s Subcommittee on the “Philippine War on Illegal Drugs,” where he defended his controversial campaign against illegal drugs, saying that it was meant to protect “the innocent and the defenseless.”
Amid criticisms, Duterte, who served as president from June 30, 2016 to June 30, 2022, said that he only did what he had to do for the country, which was to protect its citizens as he noted that the ill effects of drugs affected millions of Filipino people.
“For all of its successes and shortcomings, it was not a perfect one. There were many mistakes. Maybe there were a lot of crimes… But for all of the successes and mistakes or what, I and I alone, should take full legal (and) moral responsibility,” he said.
During the hearing, Duterte gave a lengthy and repetitive narration of his experiences dealing with the problem of illegal drugs when he was still mayor of Davao City and eventually as president, and how he despised suspects involved in the illegal drug trade, particularly the “purveyors, the merchants, and the pushers.”
Duterte denied giving direct orders to law enforcers to kill drug suspects, maintaining that he did not ask the police or military to abuse their authority and power.
He, however, admitted that he instructed law enforcers to “encourage” the criminals “to fight back and draw their guns,” so that they could kill them if they resist arrest to repel the aggression.
“Ang sinabi ko ganito (What I said is like this), encourage the criminals to fight, encourage them to draw their guns. That’s my instruction. Pagka lumaban patayin ninyo para matapos na ang problema ko sa syudad ko (If they fight back, kill them to end my problem in my city),” he said.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, the lone opposition senator, called out the former president for his statement.
“Yun ba ang trabaho ng police na pumatay ng suspected criminals? (Is it part of the job of the police to kill suspected criminals)?” Hontiveros asked.
In response, Duterte said, “Pag lumaban… bakit sila magpapatay (If the criminals fight back… why would the police officers put themselves in the position to be killed)?” Duterte said.
Duterte criticized Hontiveros after she commented that it was “incorrect” for a former president to instruct police officers to encourage their suspects to fight back to justify killing them.
“That’s your view. Hindi ka dumaan pagka-mayor, pagka prosecutor. Ako, alam ko dumaan ako pagka mayor, prosecutor, presidente. Alam ko ang trabaho ko. Yan ang totoo dyan. Hindi ka nagdala ng syudad eh (You have never experienced being a mayor or prosecutor. As for me, I have experienced being a mayor, prosecutor, and president. I know my job. You have never tried running a city). You never had the chance to solve the problem of the community,” he said.
Before he was elected president in 2016, Duterte served as Davao City mayor from 1988 to 1998, representative of the first district from 1998 to 2001, mayor from 2001 to 2010, vice mayor from 2010 to 2013, and mayor from 2013 to 2016. Last October 7, Duterte filed his certificate of candidacy for mayor with his youngest child, incumbent Mayor Sebastian Duterte, as vice mayor.
Duterte noted that the “war on drugs is about the eradication of illegal substances,” including, among others, shabu, cocaine, heroine, marijuana, and party drugs.
He stressed that the drug menace ruined “people, families, communities, relationships, and tears apart the social fabric, which binds society together in peace, harmony and brotherhood.”
Duterte said that police officers must protect themselves when they are confronted by suspects during operations, noting that self-preservation “is the first law of nature and is known in our laws as self-defense.”
He denied the existence of the Davao Death Squad (DDS), which was allegedly composed of police officers during his term as mayor of Davao.
During the House Quad Committee (Quad Comm) investigation last October 22, Senator Leila De Lima, who investigated the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in Davao as chair of the Commission on Human Rights from 2008 to 2010, detailed the composition of the DDS and its reward system, apparently the basis for what is referred to as the “Davao model.”
Retired police Colonel Royina Garma, whom Duterte appointed as general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office in 2019, said that police officers were tapped to replicate the “Davao model” to implement a nationwide “war on drugs.”
According to Garma’s affidavit submitted to the House Quad Comm, the “Davao model” involved three levels of payments or rewards: reward if the suspect is killed, funding of planned operations or COPLANS, and refund of operational expenses.
Duterte, however, denied asking for help from Garma and that it remains a “mystery to him” why he would call her.
De Lima said that Duterte, who was then mayor, was the highest leader or mastermind referred to as “the Superman.”
She said that a team of one police handler and three “civilian abanteros” or hitmen was given an average of three targets every month.
She said that the DDS was constituted as “Anti-Crime Task Force” during the period of 1988 to 1998 and was resurrected as Heinous Crimes Investigation Section (HCIS) from 2001 to 2016. The three-year hiatus between 1998 to 2001 coincided when Duterte served as representative of Davao City’s first district.
The HCIS was an official unit under the Davao City Police Office (DCPO), with office at the Davao City Recreation Center compound (formerly Almendras Gym).
De Lima said it consisted of both active police members and civilian “abanteros” or hitmen, who were communist rebel returnees.
She said members of the death squad received P10,000 to 20,000 for every victim as reward money but “for special project killings,” the reward could range between P100,000 and P1,000,000, depending on the status of the target.
De Lima said the DDS logistics and finances, including weekly gas allowance, monthly cash allowance, and Christmas cash gifts, came from the peace and order or intelligence fund of the former mayor. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
