I won’t inhibit from Senate drug war probe - Dela Rosa
Metro Manila, Philippines — Senator Bato dela Rosa said he will not inhibit from the Senate inquiry into President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody drug war.
Dela Rosa has been dragged into the issue as he was the Philippine National Police chief during the controversial campaign.
The Akbayan party-list group earlier called on Dela Rosa and Senator Bong Go, Duterte’s ex-aide and also supposedly involved in the drug war, to file an indefinite leave of absence from the probe or act as a resource person only should they attend.
“If I inhibit, that would be tantamount to disregarding the truth. Alam mo 'yung mga tao na gusto akong mag-inhibit doon sa hearing, 'yan 'yung mga tao na ayaw lumabas ang katotohanan. Gusto nila – one-sided lang ang gusto nilang marinig, 'yung side lang sa mga nag-a-akusa. Hindi napagbigyan 'yung side ng mga inaakusa,” Dela Rosa told NewsWatch Plus on Monday, Nov. 4.
[Translation: The people who want me to inhibit from the hearing do not want the truth to come out. They only want to hear one side, the side of the accusers. They do not want to listen to the side of the accused.]
Dela Rosa explained that he attended the hearing both as a resource person and as a member of the Blue Ribbon sub-committee.
“I am offering myself to be interrogated by my colleagues. Sabi ko nga (As I said), throw me your questions, and I’m willing to answer everything under the sun,” he said.
‘Kian Bill’
Meanwhile, Akbayan party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña filed House Bill 11004 or the Public Health Approach to Drug Use Act of 2024 on Monday, Nov. 4.
The party-list also called it the “Kian Bill” in honor of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos who was killed by state forces during the drug war.
“The Kian Bill prevents the killing of more innocent Kians. Imbes na dahas at bala, solusyon natin ang magbigay ng karampatang lunas at direktang lingap sa mga drug users,” Cendaña said in a statement.
[Translation: Instead of violence, our solution is to provide a remedy and direct care for drug users.]
“The proposed law bans the use of tokhang or drug lists, torture, unlawful police interference, and other cruel methods used in the drug war,” he added.Senator Bato dela Rosa will not inhibit from the Senate inquiry on the Duterte administration’s bloody drug war. Meanwhile, Akbayan party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña filed the “Kian Bill,” which seeks a health-based solution to illegal drug use.
The Duterte administration carried out “operation tokhang,” in which police officers knock at doors of supposed drug users or pushers, asking them to surrender.
Based on human rights groups’ records, extrajudicial killing linked to the drug war reached more than 20,000, way lower than official data of about 6,000.
