Various groups and members of Rise up for life and justice and other victims of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war held a protest outside the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City on October 28, 2024 to demand justice and accountability and to push for the filing of criminal charges against Duterte and top enforcers of Tokhang.

The protest was held during the Philippine Senate hearing on the drug war.

Former President Duterte appeared as a resource person in the hearing.

Carrying portraits of victims of extrajudicial killings, relatives and activists also unfurled banners with the message of “Duterte Ikulong” and “Duterte panagutin.”

Photos by KENOSIS YAP for Mata: Asia Press Photo

In another development:

Chel Diokno: Blue Ribbon revelations, Duterte admissions serve as damning evidence in court

Akbayan Partylist First Nominee Atty. Chel Diokno stressed that former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s shocking admission to organizing a “Davao Death Squad” made up of “gangsters” during his time as Davao City Mayor serves as “damning evidence” that can be used against him in court.

“It is very damning evidence because he made those statements under oath and those are what we call extrajudicial admissions,” Diokno said during a television interview.

“That is coming from the horse’s mouth. It is the best kind of evidence because it doesn’t come from someone else. It came directly from the former President,” he added.

During his appearance before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s hearing into the thousands of extrajudicial killings under his administration, Duterte admitted that he had a death squad made up not of police officers but of individuals he called “gangsters.”

Diokno asserted that this statement provides strong proof of Duterte’s actions during his time as both Davao City Mayor and President, which could be used as evidence in court.

“Kitang-kita naman ng buong bayan na galing sa kanya mismo ang pag-amin na iyon. Sa amin po, malakas na malakas na ebidensiya iyan,” said Diokno, who served as one of the resource persons during the Blue Ribbon probe.

At the same time, Diokno said Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa may also be held liable for issuing Command Memorandum Circular 16-2016 on his first day as Philippine National Police (PNP) chief in 2016.

The Command Memorandum Circular 16-2016 served as the basis for Project Double Barrel, which was launched in connection with President Duterte’s campaign promise to eradicate illegal drugs within the first six months of his term.

“He signed that Command Memorandum Circular on his first day as PNP chief. If you look inside that circular, it repeatedly contains the command to negate and neutralize,” Diokno emphasized.

“When you give the police officers that kind of leeway to interpret a command in any way they can, that is giving them a blanket license to kill,” he added.

Diokno earlier said CMC 16-2016 resulted in a PNP killing frenzy, with 20,322 deaths being recorded in the first 17 months of the drug war and an estimated total body count of over 30,000. / 30

AKBAYAN Partylist
Press Release
29 October 2024