By Gabriel Kim Leal
(November 8, 2024) – Former president Rodrigo Duterte on Friday fired back at lawmakers who criticized his absence from the quad-committee hearing of the House of Representatives.
The quadcom has invited Duterte to cooperate in its investigation into his brutal anti-drug campaign, which reportedly resulted in over 30,000 deaths.
“You don’t scare me a bit. Galing na ako sa pagkapresidente, huwag nila akong ganunin. Galing na ako sa Congress. Nag-mayor ako, nag-congressman ako, nag-presidente na ako. Do not give me that s—,” said Duterte.
In a letter, Duterte’s lawyer, Atty. Martin Delgra III said he received the committee’s invitation on November 2 on behalf of his client. However, upon consultation, Delgra said Duterte chose to skip the probe due to doubts about its integrity and attempts to press witnesses to give false testimony.
Careful not to escalate the matter, quadcom chair Rep. Ace Barbers maintained a neutral tone in response to Duterte’s refusal.
“Nirerespeto natin ‘yung ganung klaseng pananaw dito sa mga imbitasyon o ‘yung kanyang pagtugon sa aming imbitasyon dito sa quadcom. In deference to him being the former president, we still will accord him all the necessary courtesy,” said Barbers.
During a Senate hearing on October 28, Duterte admitted to assembling a seven-man “death squad” during his time as mayor of Davao City.
He clarified that “death squad” was a term loosely used, and claimed all former national police chiefs, including Sen. Bato Dela Rosa, had led similar groups.
However, he denied ordering extrajudicial killings, claiming he only instructed police to provoke resistance during arrests, which could justify deadly force.
The Department of Justice already launched a special task force to investigate extrajudicial killings in Duterte’s brutal war on drugs. The quadcom voiced support for this investigation but remains cautious about cooperating with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The ICC is investigating Duterte, Dela Rosa, and other high-ranking officials for possible crimes against humanity related to the anti-drug campaign.
“Ako wala akong ano dyan kasi ICC ‘yan. I never actually entertained. Personally, my opinion is that I never entertained the ICC. Kasi nga, hindi nga po tayo member diyan,” added Barbers.
(With reports from Marianne Enriquez, News5)
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