Former president Rodrigo Duterte (Malacañang photo)

Former president Rodrigo Duterte failed to "walk the talk" when it comes to his oft-repeated promise to protect and assist policemen who get in trouble for their hand in his administration’s bloody war on drugs. 

Deputy Majority Leader Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre and quad-committee (quad-comm) co-chairman Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez offered this take on Monday, Nov. 11 as House members continued to fire back at the ex-leader. 

Incidentally, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Rommel Marbil himself had said that Duterte’s commitments to the affected PNP personnel were not carried out.


“Walk the talk. Puro daldal lang naman siya, palaging, 'Ako ang bahala sa inyo.' Pero yung pulis na nakabaril ng drug suspect pala ang kawawa,” Acidre said. 

(He is all talk, he always says 'I will take care of you.' But it turns out that the suspect who shot a drug suspect is in a pitiful state.) 

Acidre said Duterte has the propensity to repeat “the same empty promise every opportunity he gets". 

Acidre noted that the last time the former president made such pronouncements were on Oct. 28, when he testified before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. He declared that he alone should be held legally and morally responsible for his brutal drug war. 

“He should tell that to the ICC (International Criminal Court). Let us see what happens,” Acidre said. 

Fernandez said Duterte had repeatedly committed to provide lawyers to PNP personnel who implemented his anti-drug campaign that resulted in extrajudicial killings (EJKs). 

“Napako ang mga pangako. Puro drawing lang. Mahilig kasi sa budol-budol, pati yung mga pulis na naniwala sa kanyang pangako ay nabudol din,” he said. 

(The promises were left unfulfilled. It's all drawing. He loves to deceive, even the police officers who believe in his promises were deceived.) 

“Buti pa ang Pangulong Marcos Jr., may pronouncement na bubuo ng legal team sa PNP na magbibigay assistance sa mga pulis na nahaharap sa kaso,” Fernandez said. 

(He is unlike President Marcos Jr., who made a pronouncement that he would form a legal team in the PNP to assist the cops facing charges. 

Acidre and Fernandez urged Marbil to tap the PNP legal service to help police personnel “who carried out the drug campaign in good faith and not for the monetary reward it offered". 

Based on testimonies given to quad-comm, up to P1 million was paid as cash reward for every high-value drug suspect killed. 

According to retired Col. Jovie Espenido, this reward system was financed from intelligence funds and collections from illegal gambling, POGOs (Philippine offshore gambling operators) and small-town lotteries of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, many of which were run by PNP officers close to Duterte. 

In a statement over the weekend, Marbil said while Duterte made numerous commitments of support to help PNP personnel facing legal problems in connection with the war on drugs, there is no proof that the former chief executive delivered on his promises. 

The PNP chief said between July 2016 and June 2022 or Duterte’s Palace tenure, 1,286 officers were affected in the line of duty. A total of 312 lost their lives while 974 were injured in the course of the previous administration’s anti-drug drive. 

Marbil said the affected personnel “carried out their responsibilities with dedication and often faced considerable risks to ensure public safety". 

“Many officers endured not only physical harm but also found themselves entangled in legal and administrative challenges,” Fernandez added.