HOTSPOT
Former president Duterte’s appearance this week before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee could be the beginning of the end for this sad chapter in our history.
Many were furious that Sen. Koko Pimentel, the hearing’s chairman, allowed the former president to speak freely, even without regard to rules on proper decorum. The Senate also allowed Sen. Bato dela Rosa to speak both as a senator and as a resource person, albeit without being made to take the oath, in what is apparently a conflict of interest and abuse of power.
But regardless of how the hearing was handled, the mere holding of the hearing in itself is already a victory for victims of extrajudicial killings in Duterte’s drug war. Allies of the former president failed to stop it and tried but failed to lead it in his favor. Ultimately, a majority of the senators allowed the hearing to happen.
I don’t think it matters now how Sen. Pimentel presided over the hearing. I guess Pimentel’s leniency, all at the expense of the Senate rules, sought to squeeze as much information from Duterte and the former chiefs of the Philippine National Police who led the implementation of Duterte’s orders.
Duterte looked like he took advantage of the appearance of weakness on the part of Sen. Pimentel. Senator Dela Rosa did the same to explain or defend himself and the former president.
Senators Pimentel and Hontiveros, the Senate’s minority and deputy minority leader, both did well in playing the roles of “good cop, bad cop” – whether they did it wittingly or unwittingly. The combination drew important admissions from Duterte and others, and put their statements on record.
If Duterte thought that his presence would attract support from more senators, it is apparent that he was mistaken. By the end of the hearing, he had no new allies apart from Senators Dela Rosa, Bong Go and Robin Padilla.
As to the applause that greeted Duterte’s statement that he would redo the drug war if he had a chance could have come from his entourage. Many were obviously revolted by it, especially the families of victims of extrajudicial killings. The applause for Duterte is but a reflection of the considerable number of Filipinos who still believe in strongman tactics and fascism as acceptable responses to problems. It is a sad reality we must confront and crush by prosecuting Duterte and alleged death squads because that’s the most powerful way to tell everyone that murder is murder, and strongman tactics and fascism always lead to criminal acts.
Both the Senate and the House could have done such a hearing at the first opportunity as part of their constitutional duty. Same could be said about the prosecutors and the courts. We can spend an eternity answering the many “what ifs.” What’s important is that both houses of Congress are taking action now, and providing victims an official platform to ventilate their cries for justice and accountability, and solicit from the public what needs to be legislated, including perhaps the country’s rejoining the International Criminal Court.
The rift between President Marcos and the camp of Vice President Duterte and former President Duterte, and the fast-approaching election campaign period, have obviously provided spaces and opportunities for the people to seek justice and accountability for the brutal but failed drug war.
Given the situation, we should explore and support the many potent ways to help victims obtain justice and accountability: support the victims’ organizations Paghilom and Rise Up, monitor the ICC proceedings, press local prosecutors to file charges against Duterte and other officials, petition the President that the Philippines rejoin the ICC, and win the debate about the false solutions of strongman tactics and fascism.
On Wednesday, it was reported that the ICC is monitoring the investigations in the House and the Senate. Given what Duterte, former police officials, and others have so far admitted and confirmed before Congress, the wealth of information gathered by Congress could be helpful to the pending ICC case against Duterte.
Cynicism must give way to greater public involvement, participation and pressure in support of the many families victimized by the drug war. They have filed the case at the ICC, and they are not giving up on Congress recommending the filing of charges in local courts. We should support them and make sure this is really the beginning of the end, with the mastermind and perpetrators held liable and accountable.