INQToday: Duterte at Senate drug war probe: I offer no apologies, no excuses

Here’s a quick roundup of today’s top stories:

Duterte at Senate drug war probe: I offer no apologies, no excuses

Former President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday offered no apologies or excuses for his actions as he faced a Senate investigation into his widely criticized bloody war on drugs for the first time.

Before reading his prepared statement during the hearing of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee, Duterte requested the panel to treat him as a witness, not as a president or a friend.

Duterte takes full responsibility for war on drugs: ‘Maraming mali’

Former President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday he would take “full legal, moral responsibility” for his administration’s bloody war on drugs which resulted in the deaths of thousands of drug suspects.

Duterte made this admission when he faced for the first time on Monday the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee’s probe into his war on drugs.

Hontiveros to Rody Duterte: ‘It’s not an honor to be called ‘The Punisher’

Face to face with former President Rodrigo Duterte, opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Monday made a fiery remark, emphasizing that there is no honor in punishment like “tokhang.”

Tokhang is a made-up word, formed by joining common Visayan terms together: “Toktok” or knock, “hangyo” or request or plead.  It was the term used to describe Duterte’s brutal anti-drug campaign.

Palace refutes Duterte’s claims that crime remains rampant in PH

The Palace refuted former President Rodrigo Duterte’s claim during a Senate hearing on Monday that crime remains rampant in the Philippines.

“With due respect to former President Rodrigo Duterte, there is no truth to his statement that crime remains rampant in the country,” Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said in a statement.

Resource person tells Senate: We sold drugs from cops

A resource person of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee probing the drug war on Monday told senators that she sold illegal drugs, but their supply came from police officers.

During the panel’s hearing, Cristina Gonzales admitted that she and her husband, Joselito, felt emboldened to sell illegal drugs because policemen assured them that they would not be arrested.

Fuel prices set to increase this week

The motoring public will have to pay up to 50 centavos more for petroleum products starting Tuesday.

In separate advisories, Seaoil, Shell Pilipinas, and Cleanfuel said the per-liter prices of diesel and kerosene would increase by 50 centavos.