Escudero wonders: What does Duterte’s responsibility over the drug war look like?
MANILA, Philippines — Former president Rodrigo Duterte claimed full responsibility for the drug war, but what would accountability look like?
Known for his eccentric comments and often going back and forth between statements, Duterte told the Senate he was solely to blame, adding that if anyone should go to jail, it should be him.
One day later, Senate President Francis Escudero questioned: What would that look like?
“Curious din ako. Paano nga ba ma-operationalize iyon?” Escudero said in a press conference on Tuesday, a day after the Senate’s hearing.
(I am curious as well. How would you operationalize that?)
While Duterte was confident in proclaiming that he would take accountability for the drug war, the former president became irate when asked by opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros about individual drug war deaths, including that of Kian delos Santos.
Escudero pointed out that the only people with cases right now for alleged abuses during the drug war are lowly cops. Duterte and the other high-ranking police chiefs present in the Senate probe did not have any cases filed against them.
Under the law, command responsibility does not mean that subordinates are free from accountability if they commit a crime.
Duterte had several key confessions during the Senate’s drug war probe. One was that he had a death squad composed of gangsters. He also admitted that he told police to encourage victims to fight back, giving cops an excuse to shoot to kill.
The former president’s confessions might be his first steps towards accountability, Escudero said.
He noted that Duterte essentially said nothing new. During his presidency, Duterte freely admitted to protecting cops who kill and said that he himself has taken lives.
The only difference now, however, was that Duterte was under oath in the Senate, according to Escudero.
The words in the hearing transcript will be taken as they are, Escudero said, without any clues that might suggest humor, such as laughter or smiling.
Escudero admitted he had a different viewpoint from Duterte, emphasizing that civil societies require due process and that Philippine law makes it clear that everyone has a right to life.
Whether or not Duterte’s words and actions would lead to accountability, Escudero said that the former president likes doing things unexpectedly.
“He tends to do things that you do not expect,” Escudero said.
Duterte’s war on drugs has been condemned worldwide. Government numbers put the deaths at around 6,000, but human rights groups believe that the number could tally up to 30,000.
The International Criminal Court has been probing the war on drugs under the Duterte administration.
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