NAAWAN, Misamis Oriental (MindaNews / 30 October) – The Blue Ribbon Committee’s investigation on dangerous drugs came out no less than a venue to rationalize and justify the drug war and the accompanying extra-judicial killings during the Duterte administration. In their manifestations or opening statements, Senator Bato DeLa Rosa and Bong Go took turns glorifying Duterte and his campaign of cleansing the country of the drug menace, regardless if human lives were snuffed or human rights were savagely violated. Like their patron, the two former underlings of Duterte, since his stint as mayor of Davao City and president of the land, do not seem to have human rights and due process in their vocabulary.
Bato and Go should be reminded that as senators, they have vowed to obey, uphold, and protect the Constitution. Before opening their mouth, they should first read, re-read, and internalize Article 4, Section 1 of the Constitution, which declares that ‘’no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws.” They should do their constitutional duty and stop being blind followers of Digong Duterte.
At 79, Duterte, in facing the Senate last Tuesday, was still oozing with his vulgar charisma and bravado, spewing invectives here and there, the way he did as the 16th president of the Republic. He had no qualms in admitting he had killed and ordered his underlings to kill, in the cleansing of society of drug personalities and criminals. He defended his drug policy where extrajudicial killings were inevitable. He also admitted that he had once a death squad, the Duterte Death Squad or Davao Death Squad. He is surprised that until now no one had filed a case against him.
Duterte was irrepressible; he said what he wanted to say and didn’t care how this impacted others. He would not apologize to the victims of the drug war. He didn’t care, too, whether he had successfully defended himself or not. What can you do with this old man?
The presiding chair was helpless to his ramblings. His exchange with Senator Risa Hontiveros was classic – an argument between a serious lawmaker and a street thug.
(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. William R. Adan, Ph.D., is retired professor and former chancellor of Mindanao State University at Naawan, Misamis Oriental.)