TWO leaders of the House of Representatives on Monday said former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte failed to deliver on his repeated and much publicized promises to protect or help policemen who carried out his bloody war on drugs during his administration.
Deputy Majority Leader Jude Acidre of Tingog Partylist and House Quad Comm co-chairman Rep. Dan Fernandez of Laguna made the statement in reaction to the complaint of Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil that Duterte’s commitments to the affected PNP personnel were not kept.
“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.
He said Duterte has the propensity to repeat “the same empty promise every opportunity he gets.”
Acidre noted that the last time the former president made such statement was on Oct. 28, when he testified before the Senate, where he declared that he alone should be held legally and morally responsible for his brutal drug war.
“He should tell that to the ICC (International Criminal Court). Let us see what happens,” Acidre said.
Fernandez said Duterte had repeatedly committed to provide lawyers to PNP personnel who implemented his anti-drug campaign that resulted in extrajudicial killings (EJKs).
“Napako ang mga pangako. Puro drawing lang. Mahilig kasi sa budol-budol, pati yung mga pulis na naniwala sa kanyang pangako ay nabudol din,” he said.
“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,” Fernandez said.
Acidre and Fernandez urged Marbil to tap the PNP legal service to help police personnel “who carried out the drug campaign in good faith and not for the monetary reward it offered.”
Based on testimonies given to Quad Comm, up to P1 million was paid for every high-value drug suspect killed.
According to retired Col. Jovie Espenido, funds for the rewards allegedly “flowed from the level of Sen. Bong Go (Duterte’s close personal aide).”
He said the reward system was financed from intelligence funds and collections from illegal gambling, POGOs (Philippine offshore gaming operators) and small-town lotteries of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, many of which were run by PNP officers closed to Duterte.
In a statement over the weekend, Marbil said while Duterte made numerous commitments of support to help PNP personnel facing legal problems in connection with the war on drugs, there is no proof that the former president delivered on his promises.
The PNP chief said between July 2016 and June 2022 covering Duterte’s term, 1,286 officers were affected in the line of duty — 312 lost their lives and 974 were injured in the course of the previous administration’s anti-drug drive.
Marbil said the affected personnel “carried out their responsibilities with dedication and often faced considerable risks to ensure public safety.”
“Many officers endured not only physical harm but also found themselves entangled in legal and administrative challenges,” Fernandez added.
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