So far, former President Rodrigo Duterte has not participated in the hearings of the so-called “Quad-Committee” of the Philippine House of Representatives on extrajudicial killings in the context of his anti-drug campaign but made a shocking statement as part of a similar investigation in the Senate.
On October 28, 2024, Duterte told the Senate subcommittee (“Blue Ribbon Committee”) that he had ordered the police under his command to “encourage” suspects to fight back so that the police would have an excuse to kill them. According to his statement, Duterte took “full legal and moral responsibility” for “successes and mistakes” of his government’s “war on drugs.” However, Duterte denied that the “killing” was government policy or that he had ordered killings. Duterte also confirmed that during his term as mayor of Davao City, he employed a group of criminals (“Davao Death Squad”) to kill other criminals.
Duterte also emphasized in the hearing that he had tried to tackle the problem of illegal drugs decisively and without compromise. He admitted that his anti-drug campaign also had flaws. However, in the same hearing, Duterte explicitly denied his responsibility for the death of teenager Kian delos Santos in 2017. Duterte emphasized that the killing of delos Santos was an individual police misconduct.
Senator Risa Hontiveros already emphasized on October 18, 2024, that a separate Senate investigation was a “complement” to the current investigations of the “Quad-Committee”. However, Carlos Conde from the organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) previously doubted that the Senate hearing would lead to accountability, as it was initiated by Duterte’s allies.
Previously, Senator Dela Rosa had confirmed that Duterte would attend the hearing, regardless of who presided over it. Members of the House of Representatives expressed concerns in advance about involving Dela Rosa, a former police chief under Duterte, in the investigations. He would “practically be investigating himself.” This would be “highly inappropriate,” said Dan Fernandez, one of the chairmen of the “Quad-Committee.” Senate President Francis Escudero also stated that the investigation should take place in a different committee, as Dela Rosa is considered the “architect” of the campaign.
Photo © Raffy Lerma