Former president Rodrigo Duterte has agreed with his successor Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that rights abuses were committed in his war against illegal drugs.
Duterte’s admission is a turnaround from his earlier statements noting the “possibility” of human rights abuses in the drug war while justifying the necessity of using violence in curbing the Philippines’ drug problem.
STATEMENT
In the May 9 episode of Duterte’s program Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa aired on Sonshine Media Network International, he reacted to Marcos’ comment on the enforcement of the war on drugs:
“He was right. Tama siya na along the way ([Marcos] was right that), in the enforcement of the law, a rigid attitude towards the enforcement of the law, abuses will be committed. Ngayon sasabihin ko (I’ll say it now), I’ll go farther, not only abuses, sometimes killing[s] … unnecessarily.”
Source: SMNI News, LIVE: ‘Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa’ kasama si dating Pang. Rodrigo Roa Duterte, May 9, 2023, watch from 51:52 to 52:20
He added:
“… collateral damage, marami ‘yan, but those were never intended, I am sure … Pero abuses, marami, kasi high-handed talaga ang enforcement, eh. (But there were a lot of abuses because enforcement was high-handed.)”
Source: watch from 52:46 to 53:06
Four days prior, Marcos said during a talk at the Centre for Strategic & International Studies on his first working trip to the United States:
“Most of the discussion (sic) that are critical of the human rights situation of the Philippines derive from the policy that we undertook to fight the drug war. And perhaps we – and in my view, what had happened in the previous administration is that we focused very much on enforcement. And because of that, it could be said that there were abuses by certain elements in the government, and that has caused some concern with many – in many quarters about the human rights situation in the Philippines.”
Source: RTVMalacañang, CSIS ASEAN Leadership Forum with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., May 5, 2023, watch from 24:26 to 25:07
FACT
In the early years of his term, Duterte warned that police abuses and killings could happen in the enforcement of his war on drugs. He admitted this in a 2017 media interview:
“I cannot discount the possibility, sabi ko nga (like I said), in my reply that there is a possibility that in some of the police incidents, arrests, there could be abuses. I admit that.”
Source: MindaNews (from PCOO desk), Media Interview with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Aug. 21, 2017
Duterte also said in an interview with Rappler CEO Maria Ressa on Dec. 30, 2016, six months into his term, that violence was necessary in his administration’s crackdown on illegal drugs:
“RESSA: This is why you were elected, right? People feel … You feel what they’re going through, right? But, violence, and you say this, violence is okay …
DUTERTE: Violence is my strength.
RESSA: Violence is your strength! But let me ask you, is violence, actually we talked about this a year ago, is violence necessary?
DUTERTE: Yes, it is. Unfortunately, it is.
RESSA: You use violence in language … Is it necessary to lead?
DUTERTE: There is a need because there is a war. And with that kind of problem (points to drug papers), in my hands now. I tell you, Maria, until I see the last pusher is out of the street, until the last drug lord is killed, this campaign will continue until the very last day of my term.”
Source: Rappler, Duterte: The Wartime President, Dec. 30, 2016, watch from 16:18 to 17:06
During the campaign for the 2016 presidential elections, Duterte promised to rid the Philippines of illegal drugs in six months. This promise had evolved throughout his term. (See VERA FILES FACT SHEET: Duterte’s ‘never-ending’ fight against drugs and corruption in his own words)
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Sources
SMNI News, LIVE: ‘Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa’ kasama si dating Pang. Rodrigo Roa Duterte, May 9, 2023
RTVMalacañang, CSIS ASEAN Leadership Forum with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., May 5, 2023
MindaNews (from PCOO desk), Media Interview with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Aug. 21, 2017
Rappler, Duterte: The Wartime President, Dec. 30, 2016
(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative and our methodology.)
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