Former president Rodrigo Duterte (Quad-comm media)

Claiming that he isn't afraid, president Rodrigo Duterte has challenged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to begin its investigation into his bloody war on drugs immediately.

Speaking at the quad-committee (quad-comm) hearing on Wednesday, Nov. 13, Duterte dared the ICC to “come here and start the investigation tomorrow".

“I’m asking the ICC to hurry up and if possible they can come here and start the investigation tomorrow,” Duterte said during the interpellation of Makabayan's Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas.

Duterte, 79, said he might die before the United Nations (UN)-backed body gets the chance to probe him.

“This issue has been left hanging for so many years. Matagal, ma'am, baka mamatay na ako hindi na nila ako maimbestigahan (It's taken a while ma'am, I might die before I can get investigated),” he said.

"The ICC does not scare me a bit. They can come here anytime. I suppose that you would want to maybe, make it easy for them to visit and start the investigation," the ex-president declared during the interpellation of another Makabayan solon, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel. 

It was March 2018 when then-president Duterte ordered the withdrawal of the Philippines from the Rome Statute, which created the ICC. 

According to critics, Duterte had the Philippines exit from the ICC to shield himself from scrutiny in connection with his bloody war on drugs.

“If I am found guilty, I will go to prison and rot there for all time,” he said, as he dismissed the allegations of a bloodbath during his term with his trademark nonchalance. 

Duterte openly admitted to endorsing a "shoot-to-kill" approach during his drug war. He also instructed police to provoke criminals into resisting arrest, so they may shoot them in self-defense.

When asked about statements he made in 2016 wherein he encouraged criminals to fight back, Duterte defended his orders and said that it was a way to “reduce the number of criminals".

"Doon sa mga [drug] manufacturer, sinasabi ko talaga patayin niyo, basta naabutan ninyo dyan sa factory na nagluluto ng 'shabu'...Yan ang utos ko, and I assume full responsibility,” said the ex-president. 

(As for drug manufacturers, I really ordered them to be killed, as long as you caught them in the factory making 'shabu'...That's my order, and I assume full responsibility.)

'I killed six or seven people'

Also during Wednesday's hearing, Duterte admitted to personally killing "six or seven" people whom he described as “criminals” during his time as Davao City mayor. 

Brosas directly asked the tough-talking former leader if he had personally killed anyone.

“Ako? Marami. Mga anim o pito. Hindi ko na-follow up sa hospital kung natuluyan (Me? A lot. Around six or seven),” Duterte replied under oath.

He went on to describe how he, as mayor, would patrol the streets on his motorcycle, hoping to encounter criminals. 

“Nagdasal po ako na magmo-motor ako na may mag-hold-upper diyan. At kung [mahuli] kita, talagang patayin kita. Wala akong pasensya sa kriminal,” he shared.

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(I prayed as I rode around the city that I would run into a hold-upper. And if I catch you, I'll really kill you. I have no patience with criminals.)

Brosas pressed Duterte on his accountability in the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) tied to his anti-drug campaign, and challenged him to publicly acknowledge responsibility in front of the families of innocent victims allegedly caught in the crossfire of the drug war.

“I and I alone take full legal responsibility sa lahat na nagawa ng mga pulis pursuant to my order. Ako ang managot. At ako ang makulong, huwag ‘yung pulis na sumunod sa order ko,” he said.

(I and I alone take full legal responsibility in all the police actions pursuant to my order. I take responsibility. And I will go to jail, not the police who followed my order.)

Duterte confirms slay-for-pay scheme

It was also during Manuel's interpellation of Duterte when the ex-president confirmed the existence of a cash reward system for drug war kills.

“Reward? Correct. Very correct. Talagang totoo. At minsan bigyan ko pa dagdag (It's very true. And sometimes I even add to it),” Duterte told the quad-comm rather proudly.

Former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma, a retired police colonel close to Duterte, told the mega-panel last month about the existence of a slay-for-pay scheme patterned after the so-called “Davao Model".

She revealed that Duterte instructed former National Police Commission Commissioner (Napolcom) Edilberto Leonardo to implement this model nationwide and to incentivize police officers in killing drug suspects.

Garma said the cash rewards for drug-related killings ranged from P20,000 to P1 million, depending on the target. Leonardo corroborated Garma’s statements.

Duterte bared the financial support extended to police officers involved in the drug war was sometimes essential for missions that lacked formal budget allocations.

“If there is an operation which is not funded by the police, you have to provide...I sometimes gave extra as a reward," he said.

Panelo hits quad-comm style of questioning

Former presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo, who served under Duterte’s term, criticized members of the quad-comm for asking questions with “no underlying predicate” and presenting “wrong” premises.  

“Kaya kung napapansin niyo, ‘yung (So if you notice, the) resource person, the former president, vis-à-vis the one questioning are not on the same page,” Panelo said in an chance interview on the sidelines of the hearing. 

Panelo, who was also a former presidential spokesperson, said the congressmen failed to understand Duterte’s statement of assuming “full legal responsibility” in the conduct of the war on drugs. 

“His policy when he was president, he places on his shoulders the success or failure of the war on drugs. So, any consequences arising therefrom, he will assume responsibility,” he explained. --with reports from Dexter Barro II