PUBLIC attention is glued at the Senate today in anticipation of the appearance of former President Rodrigo Duterte in the first hearing of the blue ribbon committee on alleged killings and other abuses committed by policemen in pursuit of the violent drug war of the previous administration.
Duterte has refused to attend the hearings of the quad committee of the House of Representatives which is looking into the reported extrajudicial killings related to his drug war and the supposed proliferation illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hubs during his administration.
Sen. Ronald dela Rosa has told the sub-panel of the blue ribbon committee, which will lead the drug war probe, that Duterte has assured him that he would attend the Senate hearing and put on record his response to all allegations being hurled against the campaign against illegal drugs,
Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, sub-committee chairperson, has initially said the former president will be invited in the second hearing, but changed his mind and included him in the list of invited resource persons for this morning’s hearing after Dela Rosa informed him of Duterte’s willingness to appear before the panel.
Duterte is expected to respond to recent accusations made by former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royima Garma that cops were supposedly given monetary rewards for killing drug suspects in relation to the anti-narcotics campaign.
Resigned National Police Commission (Napolcom) commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, who supposedly led the national implementation of the “Davao Model” drug war, has confirmed Garma’s revelations.
The former president will likewise faceoff with former senator Leila de Lima, who has been acquitted in all three drug-related cases filed by the Duterte administration.
De Lima has consistently said the trumped-up drug charges were ordered by Duterte after she investigated the alleged EJKs of the Davao Death Squad (DDS), which has been reported to be Duterte’s private army engaged in kill-for-hire schemes.
Aside from Garma, Leonardo and De Lima, the Pimentel panel has also invited Police Col. Jovy Espenido, self-confessed drug trafficker Kerwin Espinosa, and families of the victims of the war on drugs to attend the hearing.
Senate President Francis Escudero, in a radio interview last Saturday, said this will be the first time that Duterte will face off with his accusers if he will physically attend today’s inquiry.
HEARING AGENDA
Pimentel said the investigation will cover the past and present administrations’ war on drugs.
In a summary attached to the invitations sent to the resource persons, the blue ribbon panel said the Duterte administration’s war on drugs was designed to target both drug users and traffickers, with government officials framing it as an essential measure to ensure public safety and restore societal order.
It said that a particularly contentious aspect in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs has been allegations of state-sanctioned extrajudicial killings, which highlighted that the “Oklang Tokhang” campaign disproportionately affected the poor, and often targeted minor drug users or low-level pushers in slum areas.
“Critics contended that these operations frequently resulted in coerced surrenders, unfounded accusations, and in numerous instances, fatalities,” the panel said.
The committee said that as the Duterte administration neared its six-year term, the “visibility of the anti-drug campaign diminished” with a notable shift toward rehabilitation efforts. By 2021, several local governments began to implement drug rehab programs which had been deprioritized in in the initial years of the campaign.
On the other hand, the committee said President Marcos adopted a less confrontational stance covering the drug war, and placed more emphasis on rehabilitation instead of violent enforcement measures.
The blue ribbon committee said possible points for discussion in today’s hearings include “goals and approach” on the country’s war on drugs.
“What were the primary goals of President Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’ and how was the campaign carried out? How did Oplan Tokhang approach work and why did it become controversial?” it said.
It added they would also discuss alleged human rights issues, saying “why were there so many allegations of extrajudicial killings in the drug war?”
“How did the campaign affect poorer communities and why was this seen as a social justice issue?” it added.
The panel will also tackle be legal concerns, public support and criticism, impact on foreign relations, and long-term effects of the war on drugs.
“What legal concerns were raised regarding the campaign’s alleged lack of due process? Why did some Filipinos support the ‘war on drugs’ and how did they perceive its impact on crimes? How did Western nations respond to the drug war and what were the diplomatic consequences? How effective was the war on drugs in reducing drug trafficking and what challenges remained? What were the long-term social and psychological impacts on communities, especially for families who lost their loved ones?” the committee said.
Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go said he expects today’s Senate’s investigation to be anchored on “truth.”
Go, a close ally of the former president since the latter’s time as mayor of Davao City, was named Duterte’s special assistant during the previous administration.
In a chance interview in Banaybanay, Davao Oriental on Saturday, Go said he wants the people to know the “whole truth” in the blue ribbon sub-committee hearing.
“Katotohanan lamang po. We want to know the truth para maka-serbisyo na tayo. Trabaho na tayo. Maraming mga kababayan natin naghihirap, nangangailangan ng tulong, nasalanta. Unahin na po natin sila. Mag-serbisyo na tayo. But we want to know the truth, yung katotohanan lamang po. Doon lang po tayo umikot sa katotohanan (I expect the truth. We want to know the truth so we can continue to serve our countrymen. We should get back to work. Many of our countrymen are suffering, they need help because they are victims of disasters. Let us get to work),” he said.
“But we want to know the truth, and nothing but the truth. It [drug war investigation] should revolve around the truth,” he added.
