MANILA, Philippines — Questions of lawmakers against former chief executive Rodrigo Duterte had “no underlying predicate,” while others had “wrong premises,” according to his legal counsel and former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo.
“That’s why I noticed that the resource person—the former President—and the one questioning are not on the same page, so they don’t understand each other,” Panelo told reporters in an ambush interview during the House quad committee’s 11th hearing on Wednesday.
READ: Ex-President Duterte shows up at House quad comm drug war hearing
Panelo also explained what he thought Duterte meant when he took “full and legal responsibility.”
“They could not understand each other, Duterte clearly said his policy when he was the President was he placed on his shoulder, the success or failure of the war on drugs, so any consequences arising therefrom he will assume responsibility,” he said.
“If they committed a mistake because of my order then file a case against me, but the problem is that they often forget that Duterte’s order is predicated on law,” he added.
According to Panelo, Duterte’s order to policemen is to arrest, imprison, and prosecute individuals involved with illegal drugs. If they happen to “resist arrest,” Duterte has given law enforces permission to kill.
“But they seem to highlight the statement: I will kill you,” the former presidential spokesperson explained.
“When you say I will kill you, it’s not a crime. He repeatedly said that he only says that to cast fear and many are already afraid,” he stressed.
Panelo added that one cannot transfer the legal responsibility of his crime to another person unless a “conspiracy has been proven.”
“That’s why he’s daring them, if you think I conspired why don’t you file a case? Nobody has filed a case simply because [the accusations] are not true,” he said.
Earlier, Duterte agreed with Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro’s suggestion that his statement taking “full legal, moral responsibility” for his administration’s war on drugs could be seen as an “extrajudicial confession of guilt.”
“Yes, because I ordered the campaign against illegal drugs. At kung anong ginawa nila, whether illegal or not, ako nag utos (Whatever they did, whether illegal or not, I ordered it). In that sense, I take that responsibility for their actions,” Duterte said.
Based on reports, Duterte’s brutal drug war left at least 6,000 people dead.
However, data from human rights watchdog Karapatan, showed that the former chief executive should be held accountable for the extrajudicial killings of 30,000 individuals involved with drugs.