Abante: Duterte’s confession can actually lead to filing of cases

MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s supposed confession regarding key issues hounding his administration can actually lead to cases being filed against him, Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. said on Tuesday.

Abante, in a press briefing at the Batasang Pambansa complex, explained that Duterte’s remarks at the Senate blue ribbon committee on Monday are actionable legally, as he spoke while being under an oath to tell the truth.

READ: Duterte takes ‘full legal, moral responsibility’ for drug war

Duterte spoke a lot during the Senate hearing, but he initially said that he takes full legal and moral responsibility for the drug war’s successes and mistakes. Eventually, the former leader said his former police chiefs were heads of death squads before admitting that there were no cops in the death squad he assembled when he was Davao City mayor.

“Duterte has committed to take responsibility and face the consequences of these acts as mandated by our laws. It is now up to the proper authorities to consider this statement carefully and ascertain the criminal liability of the responsible individuals, whether under the concept of command responsibility or conspiracy,” Abante said.

READ: Duterte: My PNP chiefs were ‘death squads’ heads

According to Abante, Duterte can be held liable under Republic Act No. 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity for his admission.

“The killings under former President Duterte’s so-called ‘war on drugs’ meet all the elements of Willful Killing as a Crime Against Humanity under Section 6 of RA 9851,” Abante said.

“The facts are clear … willful killings affected thousands of civilians, with the International Criminal Court estimating between 12,000 and 30,000 deaths between July 2016 and March 2019 alone,” he added.

Duterte initially said that former Philippine National Police (PNP) chiefs—including his first selection and now Senator Ronald dela Rosa—were heads of death squads.

However, Duterte said that he built a seven-man death squad in Davao City, that went after those committing heinous crimes. No police officer was included in the team, the former president said, as the cops may be in a legal quandary due to potential cases against them.

When asked by blue ribbon subcommittee presiding officer and Minority Leader Koko Pimentel to clarify his statements, Duterte backtracked.

Aside from these, Duterte also said that he had instructed police officers to “encourage” suspects to resist arrest so that operatives could kill them.

Still, Abante said he is thankful that Duterte was honest and admitted these things.

“I am thankful that the former president was at least honest, he admitted these things,” Abante, who also chairs the House committee on human rights, said.

Earlier, Abante and Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez said they prefer that cases be filed against Duterte before the country, rather than having the quad committee assist the International Criminal Court.

Duterte and several of his officials, like dela Rosa, are facing crimes against humanity of mass murder raps before the ICC for their role in the drug war.