Vice President Sara Duterte surprisingly attends the quad-comm hearing as a spectator in the hearing while lawmakers interpolate his father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, at the quad-committee probe on the war on drugs and the controversial extrajudicial killings (EJK) on Wednesday, November 13.
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NewsTranscript
00:00the lawyer friends of our former president to please it is not allowed
00:07under our rules that you can make manifestations but we do appreciate the
00:14information that you shared and we will take part of that information but again
00:21let me emphasize that under our rules we cannot allow the lawyers of our guests
00:30or our resource person to speak and address the the committee so I hope that
00:38is clear to our lawyer friends and with that we will now acknowledge the next
00:46interpolator. The next interpolator is congressman Roger Gutierrez. You have 10
00:53minutes. Thank you Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, before I proceed with my interpolation,
00:58simple manifestation. This representation has noticed that the good
01:04former president is more comfortable in a conversational manner of speaking. With
01:09that I'd like to move perhaps not perhaps move but I would if the
01:13committee and the rules would allow it like to waive the rule that he cannot
01:17speak while I'm speaking so as not to hinder him. I want the former president
01:22to have an unhindered and unadulterated chance to give his statement so with
01:27that should the good former president understand I will yield the floor at
01:32any time that he wishes to speak. I just hope that he would perhaps signal me by
01:36perhaps raising his hand and at any time I will stop talking to allow him to
01:40continue to speak so as to avoid any overlapping. If that is fine I will
01:44proceed. I'm sure the former president heard you loud and clear.
01:47Congressman Gutierrez. Thank you Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I'd like to direct my
01:53questions to the former president Rodrigo Duterte. Mr. President, good
01:58afternoon. Before I proceed with my line of question I'd like to pick up on some
02:02points that some of my colleagues have mentioned earlier. Most recently Mr.
02:07President the Congresswoman Luistro was driving a point regarding full
02:12responsibility and I'd just like to follow up on that. You mentioned in the
02:16context of the war on drugs that you will take full responsibility, full
02:19legal and moral responsibility if I'm not mistaken was your statement and you
02:24said this in the context that you would be taking care of the Philippine
02:28National Police. However Congresswoman Luistro has also mentioned a string of
02:33cases in which were allegedly part of the war on drugs which are
02:38conducted in a manner of extrajudicial killing. When it came to those points
02:42Mr. President you mentioned that you will not take responsibility and what
02:46comes to mind is your statement in the Senate in which you had an argument with
02:50the center, sorry you had a statement with the center in which you said that
02:54guilt is personal. So Mr. President my question to the Honorable Chairman is
02:57which is which Puba? When we are referring to the war on drugs you say
03:02that you take responsibility for the policy yet you will not take
03:06responsibility pag nag ka leche leche in your terms, yung ating mga kapulisan.
03:11Would you care to elaborate Mr. President?
03:17You know nothing is perfect in this world. When the police go to an operation
03:26there are guidelines, strict guidelines that they follow but sometimes things go
03:32awry. Nasusubrahan, nasisira yung nire raid ng bahay or persons are arrested at
03:46that time which are not really connected with the activity there. Pero hindi mo
03:54maiwasan eh. You know, trabaho ng police kasi. I'm not trying to protect them but
04:02as a matter of policy I have to understand what I, kasi talagang ginigipin ko ang
04:10polis magtrabaho. So kung meron silang medyo kasalaanan but in the performance
04:20of that order, talagang it is my moral and legal obligation because I gave the
04:30order. Then I have to protect them because that is my responsibility.
04:39Hindi ko pwedeng bitawan yung tao eh. Kasi pag sinabi mo sa police
04:48trabahoin mo ito tapos stricto ka. Gusto mo talagang, gaya mo, if you want to make
04:57the city peaceful, gawin mo yan, make the city peaceful. I do not care paano mo gawin
05:07basta gawin mo ang city ko peaceful. When that is the time na kung sabihin mo masabit
05:15sila pag kamali, talagang papasok ako. Because I gave the order. So in a sense I take full
05:26responsibility if there is any. Akin yan. And should I be included in the charge or
05:38the charges, yes, I'd be willing to go to court, explain. And if it is not legal according
05:52to the judge or insufficient, wala tayo magawa. Pakulung tayo. Trabaho eh. Trabaho yan.
06:09Mr. President, to the noble chairman, so you are now making a distinction. When you say
06:13you take full responsibility, you're talking about the policy consideration, the orders
06:17that you give in the PNP. However, you would make a distinction as to individual cases
06:22in which you would claim you would not know. Alam kasi sir, pag sinabi mo campaign against
06:27drug, as president ginawa ko yan, it does not mean to say that you are free to kill
06:35if you are free to rob and rape. Eh pag sinabi kung campaign against drug, you do it as a police
06:44officer. Nag-aral ka naman ng two years basic. Sinunod mo lahat, you should follow.
06:54That if you go out of the way, I cannot answer for you. Kung ano yung sa isip mo bakit mo ginawa
07:02yan, only you can answer that question. Pero yung policy nakikita ng tao, eh talagang akin yan.
07:15Kapag sinabi ng pumasok yung mga police doon at pinilit nila yung pumasok ng isang building,
07:26so if there is any liability, hindi kasali na ako. Hindi ako naghuhugas ng gamay.
07:35So Mr. President, from your statement relating to the policy consideration, you take full
07:39responsibility at least for, for example, collateral damage in legitimate police operations.
07:46That is one of the examples. However Mr. President, I believe, just to pinpoint para mas
07:52claro, one of the cases mentioned by Honorable Congresswoman Luistro was that of the PCSO
07:59Corporate Secretary at General Barayuga. And for your enlightenment Mr. President,
08:05the reason it was conducted according to the witness, Colonel Santi Mendoza, is that he did
08:10it in the name of your order. He did it in the name of your war on drugs. Allegedly he was given
08:16the order to conduct the hit and it was part of the war on drugs. So what we see from that
08:21testimony Mr. President, to the Honorable Chairman, is that because of your order and because of your
08:27statements and pronouncements, it has emboldened the police force to conduct these operations.
08:32And although you might not have personal knowledge of the same, and you might have not
08:36given the personal order, your subordinates through the Chief PNP, through Colonel Leonardo,
08:42have allegedly conducted these operations. Now in relation to that, you said that you will not take
08:48full responsibility for that case because you have no consideration, you have no participation as
08:52such. How now do we reconcile your acknowledgement of full responsibility for policy orders versus
08:59what is happening on the ground, Mr. President? You know, when I say that I have faith in the
09:09police, when I order them to do something, kailangan pagka may nagkamali dyan, masagutin mo
09:21wag mong do not leave them hanging. Somebody has to say that I was the one who ordered,
09:30and if there was something that went wrong, then I have also to answer for it.
09:39But you do not go into a campaign, you do not go into a drive
09:43for nothing. It is always a legitimate government action. So in this case, Mr. President, in the
09:53case of the Barayugas Ley, in which the witness, Colonel Mendoza, mentioned that he conducted it
09:58in the belief that it was part of legitimate police operations under the orders of his superior,
10:02Colonel Leonardo, this was under your directive in the War on Drugs. Yet you said you will not
10:08take responsibility when you're asked by Congresswoman Luistro. So I repeat the question,
10:13Mr. President, with all due respect, how do we now reconcile? You're taking full responsibility
10:19for the policy consideration, yet when it comes to the individual cases where policemen are left
10:24hanging, for your information, Mr. President, Colonel Santi Mendoza made this statement. He is
10:29still currently serving as a police colonel. He is a working policeman. Hindi po siya sinipa,
10:37hindi po siya tinanggal. He made this statement against his own interest. So how now do we
10:42reconcile? Where do you draw the line of your responsibility in this War on Drugs, Mr. President?
10:47Because guilt is personal. Alam, pagka nagkampay binaril ka dyan, it's always personal.
10:58So in that sense, hindi mo talaga sasagutin dyan because what is, ano ang nasa isip niya?
11:06Eh kung sabihin mo drive lang, eh pati yung tao dyan nakaupo lang barilin mo, eh
11:14that is something o lumaban. Pero kung sabihin mo ako ang nagutos, I take full responsibility
11:24sa what happened. So if there is a case that is going to be filed, you can file the case against
11:31me, including the erring policeman. I will not exempt myself. Hindi ako nagbibite ng tao.
11:46So kasali ako dyan. O sige, idemandan mo kami. File the case in court at magkaso tayo.
11:57Q. Thank you Mr. President. Just a short manifestation before I proceed with the rest of my questioning.
12:27Q. Thank you for that clarification, Mr. President.
12:57But as I mentioned to continue my manifestation, for the consideration of the committee,
13:02it would be hard for us to take the statement that the former President would take full
13:09legal and moral responsibility, yet at the same time insist guilt is personal. I hope this is
13:14something that we consider taking as statements moving forward. And I think, Mr. President,
13:21that's a principle of law kasi guilt is personal. That is not mine.
13:27But when I say I take full responsibility, meaning to say if there is going to be an accounting for
13:36the actions of the police, you can include me because I gave the order. Pero yung kasi sabihin
13:43guilt because guilt is personal. Hindi mo mapasa yan sa akin.
13:51But the order sabihin mo yung order ng mayor, akin yan. That is different.
13:57Kung ano yung individual guilt doon, hindi. Pag sabihin mo, overall,
14:03nakabulyaso yan. Akin yan. Atiti ko, in many cases, mayor for almost 30 years,
14:16and even as President, when I ordered, tinuturo ko talaga sarili ko. Akin yan. Para magtrabaho
14:27ang mga tao. Q. Thank you, Mr. President, for the clarification.
14:30Somebody has to take the blame. But the blame stops here.
14:36Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Yet, Mr. Chair, I repeat my manifestation that the confusion
14:41between the statement that there will be full legal responsibility and, at the same time,
14:45guilt is personal, while there's the mentioning that he will take full responsibility in the
14:49cases of, for example, the Barriugas Lay and, of course, also of the killing of the three Chinese
14:53nationals. I would like to mention that in the case of the Indabao penal colony, that,
14:58according to our witnesses, your name was also utilized, Mr. President. Ang sabi po ni Col. Garma
15:04allegedly, if I believe you're right, is that, wag kayo mag-interfere, alam ng Presidente ito. This
15:10is part of, alam mo naman yung pinaglalaban natin dito. So that is just some of the examples,
15:15Mr. President, which we have to decipher. The difference now between your pangako po,
15:21your taking charge, full responsibility, versus what you're saying that guilt is personal.