Former President Rodrigo Duterte finally showing up at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on October 28, 2024, isn’t a moment of bravery.
Instead of facing the ongoing Quad Committee investigation – which, by the way, has held nine hearings already – Duterte and his crew engineered a brand new hearing in the Senate. And not just any hearing, but one where his trusted Senators Bato dela Rosa and Bong Go, and a crowd of fans filling the right-wing gallery, could hold his hand every step of the way. Anyone who thinks Duterte’s appearance was for the sake of truth and transparency is frankly, delusional. That’s the only explanation.
It’s painfully obvious – the Senate hearing was designed purely as a platform for Duterte to defend his anti-drug policies and spin the narrative. It felt like watching a cringeworthy Filipino teleserye, complete with finger-pointing and cussing while the real issue – the extrajudicial deaths of thousands – was buried beneath the chaos.
Senator Robin Padilla even came to Duterte’s defense with an irrelevant plea to remember the victims of drug dealers. But what about Duterte’s known associates with ties to drug smuggling? Padilla’s speech did nothing but expose his ignorance. If anything, he’s better suited to acting on screen than enabling impunity in the Senate. Thank heavens for Senator Risa, because without her voice, we might as well have watched an actual soap opera and walked away with the same insights.
Only in the Philippines does a former President go on national TV, openly admitting responsibility for thousands of deaths.He admitted under oath that he would kill, he would protect “erring” police officials and he would do it all over again if given the chance. And yet, not only do these Senators sit by and let it happen, they actually chuckle and play along, as if egging him on to say even more. Not one ounce of outrage, not a shred of accountability. This isn’t just shocking; it’s a sickening breach of their duty to the public.
And let’s not forget: they created an entirely separate Senate committee just to give Duterte a cozy stage, while a real investigation is already underway in Congress. For what? To let him pull the wool over the public’s eyes again with his rambling defenses? What a mind-boggling waste of taxpayer money! Imagine working yourself to exhaustion, commuting day in and day out, just to have the government snatch a slice of your paycheck for taxes – only to see it fund this kind of theatrics?
Let’s be real – if Duterte had any real courage or patriotism, he’d appear before the Quad Committee and face a genuine investigation.
