'Hindi bumenta': Ortega confronts 'joker' Duterte with tough question
At A Glance
- Out of the members of the House "Young Guns" bloc, it's La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega who usually enjoys a good joke. But as far as former president Rodrigo Duterte's jokes are concerned--especially the ones he recently cracked before Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) church members in Hong Kong--Ortega ain't laughing.
La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega (left), former president Rodrigo Duterte (PPAB)
Out of the members of the House "Young Guns" bloc, it's La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega who usually enjoys a good joke.
But as far as former president Rodrigo Duterte's jokes are concerned--especially the ones he recently cracked before Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) church members in Hong Kong--Ortega ain't laughing.
For Ortega, Duterte is resorting to jokes as a way to avoid answering the serious accusations against him, including his alleged hand in the illegal drug trade during his own administration.
This allegation had been raised by the House quad-committee (quad-comm) months ago, but remain unaddressed as far as the La Union solon is concerned.
“Habang nagpapatawa siya tungkol sa monumento, hindi niya sinagot ang tunay na tanong—bakit ang pinaka-pinagkakatiwalaan niyang si Michael Yang ang sentro ng drug trade sa Pilipinas?” Ortega said of Duterte.
(While he's making jokes about monuments, he's also avoiding the real question--why is his most trusted man, Michael Yang, the center of the drug in the country?)
Yang is Duterte's former economic adviser.
Over the weekend, the ex-president told his KOJC members in Hong Kong: "Mag-contribute kayo, maski five dollars, 10 dollars. Para paglabas ko sa presuhan, pagawaan ninyo akong monumento katabi ni [Jose] Rizal."
(Please contribute, five dollars or 10 dollars would be fine. So that after I get out of jail, you build a monument of me beside Jose Rizal.)
Adding to the 79-year-old Duterte's woes is the International Criminal Court (ICC). There have been unconfirmed reports that The Hague-based court has issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with his drug war-bloodbath.
Duterte acknowledged the possibility of arrest and told supporters, “Kung hulihin tayo, kung ikulong tayo, tatanggapin ko ‘yan (Should I get arrested and jailed, I will accept it.)
Ortega dismissed Duterte’s remarks as political theater.
“He’s playing the victim while ignoring the real issue—his administration ran a state-sponsored drug cartel,” said the deputy majority leader, again referring to the findings of the quad-comm.
“The former president was never fighting a war on drugs. He was running a drug empire," Ortega added.
The quad-comm, led by its overall chairman Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, launched its investigation in August 2024.