MANILA, Philippines — The four joint committees in the House of Representatives investigating extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the Duterte administration have invited former President Rodrigo Duterte to their upcoming hearing.
In a letter dated Oct. 18, 2024, the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights and Public Accounts invited the former president to “give valuable insights” and shed light on the issues concerning EJKs.
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The hearing will take place on Tuesday, October 22.
The House quad committee invites former president Rodrigo Duterte to their upcoming hearing about extrajudicial killings on Tuesday, October 22, 2024.
— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) October 20, 2024
Duterte said on Thursday that he would attend the quad committee hearings on extrajudicial killings.
“Hindi ako aatras d’yan.… pic.twitter.com/cW2Dh4NBxE
On Thursday, October 17, the former president said that he would attend committee hearings on drug war-related killings.
“Hindi ako aatras d’yan. Sasagutin ko silang lahat at marami akong sasabihin sa taong bayan,” Duterte told his former legal adviser Salvador Panelo in the latter’s in a program in Sonshine Media Network International on Thursday.
(I won’t back down from that. I will respond to all of them, and I have a lot to say to the public.)
Since September, the Quad Committee of the House of Representatives, composed of the Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights, and Public Accounts has been investigating the connection between Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) and the illegal drug trade.
On October 11, Duterte-appointed former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Royina Garma said that Duterte had asked her to implement the "Davao Model" on a nationwide scale, which included a reward system for police officers based on the number of drug suspects they killed.
The former PCSO chief described the Davao Model as a three-tier reward system for police officers, offering them either a commendation, financial support for "planned operations," or reimbursements for operational expenses.
However, this was denied by the former president saying that the only form of reward that he gave to the police officers who completed drug war missions was a meal and a congratulatory remark.
“Yang sinasabi nilang reward, walang reward ‘yan. Hindi ako magbibigay ng reward,” Duterte said in an October 18 interview with SMNI.
(What they are saying about a reward, there was no reward. I would never give a reward.)
In the same interview, Duterte also said that he never gave any order to kill.
“Hindi ko sinasabi na sinadya kong pinatay. Sabi ko nga sa mga sundalo, give them the chance to fight so that if they fight, then, you would be justified in killing them,” said.
(I never said I meant to kill. I always told soldiers to give suspects a chance to fight back. If they do, then you are justified in killing them.)
It could be recalled on several instances during Duterte’s presidency when he often called for the shooting of drug addicts.
RELATED: 'I don't care about human rights,' Duterte says, urging cops to 'shoot first'
"Human rights, you are preoccupied with the lives of the criminals and drug pushers. As mayor and as president, I have to protect every man, woman, and child from the dangers of drugs. The game is killing...I say to the human rights, I don't give a sh** with you. My order is still the same. Because I am angry," the former president said in one of his speeches in 2020.
According to official government records, Duterte’s drug war led to over 6,000 deaths, although human rights groups estimate the number could be as high as 30,000. — with reports from Dominique Flores, Kristine Bersamina and News5/Marianne Enriquez