After making admissions during the public hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, Senate President Francis “Chiz" Escudero considers these statements made by former President Rodrigo Duterte as a first step for him toward taking full responsibility for the bloody war on drugs undertaken by his administration.
While noting that Duterte's testimonies during the Senate committee hearing were largely the same as when he was still in power, Escudero said the difference now is that he provided the latest utterings about the war on drugs under oath.
“Ang pinagkaiba kahapon, lahat ng binitiwan niyang salita kahapon ay under oath. Pinanumpaaan at sinabi niya na ‘yan ay totoo abot sa kanyang nalalaman na pwedeng magamit kung saka-sakali pabor o laban sa kanya (What was different yesterday was that all the words he uttered were under oath. He swore and stated that what he said was true, up to the extent of his knowledge, which could be used for or against him),” Escudero said during the Kapihan sa Senado public forum.
He said Duterte's statements were recorded, and transcripts of the public hearing will be released for the reference of whichever party is interested and for the general public to peruse.
Unlike before when the spokespersons of the former president defended his strong statements about the killing of drug personalities as merely words said in jest, Escudero said Duterte cannot claim the same now because he testified under oath.
“I think he is proud of the things he did and said. Hindi niya ikinakahiya ang kaniyang ginawa at sinabi. Maliwanag ‘yun sa kanyang statement kahapon. Ang sinabi niya kahapon ay ‘I am willing to take full responsibility, me, just me.’ Paano mo i-ooperationalize ‘yun na ako lang? So siguro paraan ito ni Pangulong Duterte para i-operationalize ‘yun. Kaya siguro matapang niyang hinaharap, sinasagot at inaamin ang mga bagay na ‘yan (He wasn't embarrassed about what he had done and said. That was clear from his statement yesterday. She said yesterday that 'I am willing to take full responsibility, me, just me.' So I suppose it's the President Duterte's way to operationalize that 'only I.' Therefore it's probably a way of him toughening up to face, answer and admit to those kinds of things),” Escudero said.
He also took note of the fact that in relation to the killings committed as part of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs or during the time of Duterte as mayor of Davao City, not a single case had been filed against him, his heads of the Philippine National Police and even the police chiefs of Davao City.
“Siya ‘yung walang kaso. Lahat ng former chief PNP at chief of police ng Davao City, walang kaso kaugnay sa pagpatay. Ang may mga kaso ‘yung mga pulis na tila nakapikit o nakapiring ‘yung mga mata o nakatakip ang mga tenga na sumunod at ginawa ‘yung akalain nila na dapat gawin. Sila ang may kaso, sila ang na-dismiss sa serbisyo, sila ang nakakulong ngayon,” Escudero said.
From what he heard from Duterte, Escudero said, the former President was “pretty clear at what he was trying to say yesterday.”
Based on his experience with the former President over the years, he said Duterte “tends to do things that you do not expect.”
“Siguro kaya malakas loob niya kahapon ay dahil gusto na niya akuin na ‘yung responsibilidad dahil sa hinaba-haba na ng panahon, ang nagbabayad, ang nakulong, ang tinanggal sa serbisyo ay ‘yung mababang pulis at hindi ‘yung mga nasa taas, nag-utos man o hindi (Perhaps he was confident yesterday because he wanted to take responsibility for the longest time, the ones who paid for it, the ones in prison, the ones fired -- it's the lower rank police, not the higher ones, whether or not they ordered it),” he added.
As a lawyer, Escudero emphasized that the Constitution does not allow anyone to take the law in his or her own hands, regardless of motive or justification.
The Senate Chief said it is now up to the interested parties to decide on what they intend to do with the testimony of Duterte, particularly the families of the victims of the drug war.