To dispel any political color, any charges that should be filed against presidential aspirant Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, if he had indeed killed criminals, should be done after the 2016 elections, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero said on Thursday.
Escudero, running mate of another presidential aspirant, Senator Grace Poe, said they would not use the issue against Duterte.
“May trabahong dapat gampanan yung mga ahensya ng pamahalaan tungkol dyan pero ngayong panahon kasi ng pulitika at eleksyon, maski na anong gawin ng kandidato palaging sasabihin na panggigipit or pang pe-pressure,” he said during a weekly forum at the Senate when sought to react to the mayor’s statement.
(There is a job to be done by government agencies regarding that, but now at a time when issues of politics and elections prevail, anything a candidate does can be accused of being abusive or causing pressure.)
“We are on the receiving end, Senator Grace and I, of that equation. Nainiwala kami ni Senator Grace sa (Senator Grace and I believe in a ) basic rule: Don’t do unto others what you don’t others to do unto you.”
“Kung may pananagutan syang dapat na harapin, pagkatapos na siguro ng halalan at ng eleksyon at hindi para sa amin na gamitin yan laban sa kanya ngayon,” Escudero added.
(If he has an accountability that he has to face, [he should] probably face it after the elections and also to prevent having the issue be used against him at this point in his campaign.)
Asked about the possible course of action if Duterte was already elected president, the senator said: “Bahagi ‘yun ng pagpili ng ating mga kababayan, ang susunod na magiging pangulo ng ating bansa, bahagi yan sa dapat nilang tanggapin kung saka-sakali.”
(That is part of the selection process of our countrymen, for our country’s next president, that is among those that they have to accept, if ever.)
Duterte himself admitted in an interview over DZMM on Wednesday that he had killed at least three criminals in his province.
READ: Duterte openly admits killing 3 criminals in Davao City
Asked again about the mayor’s reported statement that peace and order could be resolved by killing criminals, the senator said he does not agree that the “end justifies the means.”
“You can’t correct a wrong by another wrong, sa isang demokrasya may mga proseso tayong dapat sundan at yun ang dapat nating susugan (in a democracy, there are processes that need to be followed and amend),” he said.
“Ang susunod na magiging pangulo ng bansa manunumpa at susumpa na ipapatupad ang batas at ipapatupad din ang Saligang Batas, at kabilang dyan ang right to life, liberty and property and hindi pwedeng kunin yan without due process of law.”
(The next president of the country will take oath and will vow to implement the law and to uphold the Constitution, and these include the right to life, liberty and property which cannot be seized without due process of law.) CDG
READ: Poe: Gov’t, people abusing human rights have no right to lead PH