Duterte told: Fulfill legal aid promise to drug war cops

MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte should fulfill his promise of providing legal assistance to police officers who implemented his drug war, House of Representatives lawmakers said on Monday.

In a joint statement, Deputy Majority Leader and Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre as well as House committee on public order and safety chairperson and Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez said it seems Duterte’s promises were gone in the wind.

When he was president, Duterte assured police officers several times that he would claim responsibility for cases that may be filed against them for their role in the drug war.  In his final State of the Nation Address (SONA), Duterte said he wants free legal assistance for policemen and soldiers, noting that he will take care of them

“Walk the talk. Puro daldal lang naman siya, palaging, ‘Ako ang bahala sa inyo,’ pero yung pulis na nakabaril ng drug suspect pala ang kawawa,” Acidre said. “[Duterte seems to repeat] the same empty promise every opportunity he gets.”

(He has been nothing but all talk; he always says ‘I’ll take care of you’ but the police officer who shot the drug suspect will be left to fend for himself.)

“Napako ang mga pangako. Puro drawing lang. Mahilig kasi sa budol-budol, pati ‘yung mga pulis na naniwala sa kanyang pangako ay nabudol din,” Fernandez added.  “Buti pa ang Pangulong Marcos Jr., may pronouncement na bubuo ng legal team sa PNP na magbibigay assistance sa mga pulis na nahaharap sa kaso.”

(The promises were broken. All talk, no action. He’s really into scamming — he even fooled the police who believed his promises It’s good that the Marcos Jr. administration has announced that they will build a legal team within the PNP that would provide assistance to cops facing cases.)

READ: Free legal aid: Cops, troops to need it amid Duterte ‘kill’ orders

Acidre and Fernandez’s statements came after Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rommel Marbil said on Sunday that 214 cops faced 352 criminal cases from July 2016 to June 2022 — the period when Duterte was in office.

According to Marbil, even as the PNP promised to support police officers, many of their personnel “continued to face consequences largely on their own.”

“[A total of] 195 officers [were] dismissed over the six-year period, and a total of 398 facing dismissal for various reasons. Over 20 of these individuals are currently in detention,” Marbil said.

“The numbers remind us that the impact of the anti-drug campaign was deeply felt by our police force as well,” he added.  “The data show that while civilians were affected, many officers also paid the price in various ways.”

READ: PNP: Over 1,200 cops faced challenges during Duterte’s drug war

Even after leaving office, Duterte reiterated his promise to police officers. At the hearing of the Senate blue ribbon sub-committee last October 28, the former president said he takes full legal and moral responsibility for the rights and wrongs of the drug war.

Acidre dared Duterte to say this before the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he is facing charges for allegedly committing the crime against humanity of mass murder.

“He should tell that to the ICC.  Let us see what happens,” Acidre said.

Furthermore, both lawmakers believe Marbil should tap the PNP’s legal service for police officers “who carried out the drug campaign in good faith and not for the monetary reward it offered.”

Acidre and Fernandez were referring to claims that police officers implementing the drug war got a monetary reward for every suspect killed.  This accusation was bolstered by the testimony of former police colonel Royina Garma before the House quad committee.

Last October 11, Garma — who is believed to have close ties to Duterte and his allies — revealed that the former president contacted her in May 2016 about the creation of a national task force that would implement a so-called Davao template on a national scale.

Garma said the Davao template refers to a rewards system.  For the national task force, she claimed that cops get monetary rewards ranging from P20,000 to P1 million.

Prior to Garma’s testimonies, another retired PNP official claimed that a rewards system existed.  According to ex-police Col. Jovie Espenido, the late mayor David Navarro of Clarin, Misamis Occidental told him before he died that money from Philippine offshore gaming operators was also used to reward cops.

READ: Espenido told: Pogo money used to reward anti-drug units