Duterte must face human laws before punishment in hell – Hontiveros

Sen. Risa Hontiveros at the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee investigation on the Duterte administration’s war on drugs on Monday, October 28, 2024. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)

MANILA, Philippines – Former president Rodrigo Duterte, who dropped several stunning revelations regarding his war on drugs during a Senate inquiry on Monday must be held accountable to human law before being punished in hell, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros made the remark through a statement on Tuesday after Duterte’s previous pronouncements that he intends not to save drug users and drug criminals, daring them instead to go to hell and meet him there.

“Dapat managot muna si dating Pangulong Duterte sa batas ng tao, bago ang parusa ng impyerno. Tutal, inako naman niya ang responsibilidad sa madugong war on drugs na nagresulta sa pagkamatay ng libu-libong Pilipino,” said Hontiveros. 

(He should be accountable to human law before being punished in hell. After all, he already owned up to the responsibilities of the bloody war on drugs, which led to the deaths of thousands of Filipinos.)

Hontiveros emphasized that illegal drugs and criminality remain a problem,  but ordering the killing of individuals is never the answer to such. 

“Gawain ng halang ang kaluluwa at matigas ang puso yang extrajudicial killings— mula sa nag-utos, hanggang sa kumalabit ng baril, at sa nagtago ng ebidensya,” she said. 

(Extrajudicial killings are carried out by cruel, merciless people. From those who ordered it, those who fired the gun, and those who concealed pieces of evidence.)

Hontiveros likewise urged the Department of Justice, alongside probers of the International Criminal Court to review Duterte’s admissions before the Senate subcommittee on Blue Ribbon on Monday. 

Among these admissions include the existence of his very own death squad and his order to police officers to “encourage” suspects to fight back so they could be summarily executed.

She likewise appealed to the Palace, seeking the amendment of “exclusion list” in Executive Order 2 s. 2016 and publicized police records and official documents in relation to Duterte’s bloody anti-drug campaign. 

“Hustisya at reporma ang hanap natin sa mga hearings, hindi paghihiganti. Kaya magiging matiyaga tayo sa pag-iimbestiga, igagalang natin ang batas, at patuloy na papahalagahan ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino.  Huwag natin hahayaan na maging marka ng katapangan ang tokhang,” she said.

(Justice and reform are what we intend to get through these hearings, not revenge. That’s why we need to be diligent in investigating, we need to respect the laws and continue to respect the lives of Filipinos. Let us not allow tokhang to be a mark of bravery.)