Leaders of the House of Representatives on Monday said former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte failed to deliver on his repeated and much-publicized promises to protect or help policemen who carried out his bloody war on drugs during his administration.
Deputy Majority Leader Jude Acidre of Tingog Party-list and House Quad Comm co-chairman Rep. Dan Fernandez of Laguna made the statement in reaction to the complaint of Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil that Duterte’s commitments to the affected PNP personnel were not carried out.
He said Duterte has the propensity to repeat “the same empty promise every opportunity he gets.”
Acidre noted that the last time the former president made such a statement was on October 28, when he testified before the Senate, where he declared that he alone should be held legally and morally responsible for his brutal drug war.
“He should tell that to the ICC (International Criminal Court). Let us see what happens,” Acidre said. Fernandez said Duterte had repeatedly committed to providing lawyers to PNP personnel who implemented his anti-drug campaign that resulted in extrajudicial killings (EJKs).
“Promises are hard to come by. Because he is fond of thrash talk, even the policemen who believed in his promise were also thrash talked,” the lawmaker said.
“Buti pa ang Pangulong Marcos Jr., may pronouncement na bubuo ng legal team sa PNP na magbibigay assistance sa mga pulis na nahaharap sa kaso,” Fernandez said.
(He is far from President Marcos Jr., who made a pronouncement that will form a legal team in the PNP that will provide assistance to the police who are facing the case [and President Marcos did])
