The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee secretary administers the oath of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Monday, October 28, 2024 before he begins his testimony before the subcommittee investigating motu proprio the alleged extra-judicial killings during his administration. In his opening statement, Duterte defended his war against illegal drugs, which he said was not about killing people but about protecting the innocent. (Photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — Several senators on Monday allowed former president Rodrigo Duterte to speak first during the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the drug war as a “humanitarian consideration” due to his advanced age.
Panel presiding officer and Minority Leader Koko Pimentel initially asked relatives of drug war victims to deliver their opening statements at the hearing on the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.
However, Majority Leader Francis Tolentino and Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada appealed that Duterte be given the chance to speak first as a courtesy to the former president.
“Given the nature of our committee, this is a sub-committee of the blue ribbon, so the chair decides to hear first families or persons who claim to have been victims of this Philippine war on illegal drugs,” Pimentel said.
“Would it be more prudent if, since we have the former president here, to give him the chance to have an opening statement?” Tolentino said.
According to Pimentel, Duterte will be given the chance to speak after the victims’ relatives have aired their side, as the topic of the hearing was complaints against the drug war.
However, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, the first Philippine National Police (PNP) chief appointed by Duterte, appealed anew as the ex-leader looked sleepy already.
“Mr. Chair, if I may add to the motion of Senator Jinggoy … if you look at the former president, he’s already sleepy … Mr. Chairman, so he might fall asleep here. Maybe we can prioritize him with all due respect. We know that he’s already old and sleepy, so maybe we can have him speak first … for humanitarian consideration,” Dela Rosa said.
The hearing was then suspended for the senators to deliberate the motions. Eventually, Pimentel allowed Duterte to speak first.
“It was never the intention to deny the former president to give his opening statement but upon the motion of my colleagues, we are going to give the president the first priority now to give us his opening statement,” Pimentel said.
The Senate blue ribbon panel started its investigation into the drug war after Dela Rosa and Sen. Bong Go filed resolutions on the matter. The probe came after several revelations made during the House of Representatives’ quad committee hearings on the drug war.
During the hearings of the House quad committee, former police officials admitted to the existence of a rewards system in the drug war, where cops who kill drug suspects were rewarded.
Several incidents of alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) were also discussed, like the the killing of three Chinese nationals in 2016 supposedly carried out by two inmates tapped by police officers and the assassination of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board secretary Wesley Barayuga in July 2021.
Former police colonel Royina Garma also admitted that a police officer she knew bragged about killing former Tanauan mayor Antonio Halili.
In the Chinese nationals’ case, self-confessed hitman Leopoldo Tan said a certain SPO4 Arthur Narsolis, his high school classmate, supposedly relayed to him the orders to kill the Chinese nationals. Tan said he heard Bureau of Corrections S/Supt. Gerardo Padilla talking over the phone with Duterte, who congratulated the prison officials for a job well done.
Padilla initially denied having knowledge of the hit, but he eventually admitted that he indeed talked to Duterte who congratulated him.
READ: Duterte ordered killing of Chinese inmates, BuCor exec confirms
Regarding Barayuga, Police Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza also testified that Garma and former Police Col. Edilberto Leonardo masterminded the killing of Barayuga.