Manila 3rd district Rep. Rolando Valeriano (left), former president Rodrigo Duterte (Facebook)

Manila 3rd district Rep. Rolando Valeriano didn't bite his tongue when it comes to his criticism of former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose recent appearance before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee is still being talked about. 

“He is not a hero. He is not God. He is not the law. He is not above the law. He is a plague,” Valeriano, a member of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, said in a statement Wednesday, Oct. 30. 

Duterte is the subject of investigations in aid of legislation from both the House of Representatives and the Senate in connection with his bloody war on drugs. 

Last Monday,  Oct. 28, Duterte served as the high-profile resource person during the launch of the Senate probe, wherein he accepted responsibility for the thousands of drug war deaths, but claimed that it was jusitified. 

He also exonerated the Philippine National Police (PNP) from any wrongdoing, and said he pitied them. He also challenged institutions, particularly the Department of Justice (DOJ), to prosecute him. 

Valeriano says the country’s laws hold liable the perpetrations of crimes who are principals, conspirators, accomplices, and accessories. 

“It is not up to former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte to determine who are criminally, civilly, and administratively liable for crimes committed during his brutal war on drugs. His acceptance of legal responsibility for the criminal and inhumane war on drugs does not absolve others of liability,” he said. 

The Manila solon added that, true to form, Duterte, with this declaration that he alone should be held responsible, was just “grandstanding, in a feeble attempt to project strength to those hoodlum cops who committed crimes in his name, upon his orders, and with the promise of monetary rewards for suspects killed and arrested". 

The Senate probe was launched in parallel to that of the House quad-committee's (quad-comm) inquiry. The House investigation is nine hearings deep. 

Valeriano says the quad comm is looking forward to the former leader’s promise to attend its inquiry.

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“The House has its own sets of questions intended to unearth the truth and the facts. Our findings and recommendations will be based on evidence. We will forward our findings to the DOJ,” he said. 

Valeriano explained that it’s the DOJ or the Office of the Ombudsman that initially ascertain liability through probable cause determination, and that it’s the courts that would determine eventually guilt. He said Duterte, being a former president, does not enjoy immunity from prosecution. 

“There are no pending criminal cases against the former president, but he does have pending charges before the International Criminal Court. Those ICC charges he will have to face first. It will take a while for either the DOJ or Ombudsman to file criminal charges and to decide whether and how he will be turned over to the Interpol, which implements arrest orders of the ICC,” he said. 

There have been speculations that the ICC was about to issue arrest warrants for Duterte and principal implementers of his bloody war on drugs, including his PNP chief and now Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.