HOUSE Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V of La Union slammed former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte as the “Budol King,” accusing him of orchestrating a massive deception against the Filipino people by disguising a state-protected drug empire as a war on drugs.
“Nabudol tayo ng Budolterte! For years, he made us believe he was waging a war against drugs, but the House Quad Comm’s investigation has revealed the shocking truth: it was a war that protected and enriched his most trusted men, including his right-hand operator, Michael Yang,” Ortega said.
“Budolterte has deceived the nation for too long. But the truth is out—and the law will catch up with him,” Ortega concluded.
Ortega’s remarks followed Duterte’s speech in Hong Kong, where the former president, attending the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) of detained Pastor Apollo Quibuloy’s event, dismissed accusations against him and joked about his possible imprisonment.
Quibuloy, a senatorial candidate, is detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Quezon City after being arrested at the KOJC compound in Davao City last September over human trafficking and child abuse charges.
“Tayo mga ayaw ng gulo, napipilitan tayong harapin ang kasamaan. Sino ba namang gustong pumatay? P*** i**** ‘yan. Why would I waste my time?” Duterte said.
The former president also jokingly asked the crowd to contribute to a fund for his monument if he were ever jailed.
“Kaya lang in the meantime, mag-contribute kayo, maski 5 dollars, 10 dollars. Para paglabas ko sa presuhan, pagawaan ninyo akong monumento katabi ni [Jose] Rizal,” Duterte quipped.
But Ortega dismissed Duterte’s dramatic statements as a desperate attempt to evade accountability.
“Habang nagpapatawa siya tungkol sa monumento, hindi niya sinagot ang tunay na tanong—bakit ang pinaka-pinagkakatiwalaan niyang si Michael Yang ang sentro ng drug trade sa Pilipinas?” Ortega asked.
The Quad Comm—composed of the House Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights and Public Accounts—has been investigating Duterte’s anti-drug campaign since August 2024.
Its initial findings indicate that high-ranking officials under Duterte’s administration allegedly actively facilitated drug trafficking while waging a brutal crackdown that left thousands dead.
Among the most damning pieces of evidence is the testimony of former police intelligence officer Col. Eduardo Acierto, who accused Duterte and his close allies of shielding top drug traffickers, including his former economic adviser Yang.
Acierto provided intelligence reports linking Yang to a transnational drug syndicate with operations spanning China and the Philippines.
Witnesses also testified that Yang and his associates, businessmen Allan Lim and Johnson Co, orchestrated shipments of shabu worth billions of pesos.
The probe also examined how Duterte’s son, former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, allegedly played a key role in allowing massive drug shipments to bypass Bureau of Customs security checks.
Lawmakers highlighted two major drug smuggling cases in 2017 and 2018—dubbed the “Tale of Two Shipments”—in which P9.8 billion worth of shabu entered the country through Manila’s port.
A deeply entrenched bribery scheme, known as the tara system, allowed these shipments to pass unchecked, with government officials allegedly receiving payoffs to ensure their clearance.
The congressional probe also exposed a state-sponsored reward system that allegedly paid police officers for executing suspected drug offenders.
Former police officer Arturo Lascañas, a self-confessed hitman and member of Duterte’s infamous Davao Death Squad, testified that law enforcement agents were paid up to P100,000 per kill.
He claimed Duterte personally ordered assassinations of rivals in the drug trade.
Despite over 30,000 deaths in the drug war, the Quad Comm found that key figures like Yang, Lim and Co continued operating with impunity.
The congressional findings add to Duterte’s growing legal woes, as the International Criminal Court continues its probe into alleged crimes against humanity under his administration.
In Hong Kong, Duterte acknowledged the possibility of arrest, telling supporters, “Kung hulihin tayo, kung ikulong tayo, tatanggapin ko ‘yan.”
Ortega, however, dismissed Duterte’s remarks as political theater.
“He’s playing the victim while ignoring the real issue—his administration ran a state-sponsored drug cartel,” Ortega said. “The former president was never fighting a war on drugs. He was running a drug empire.”
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