It is up to the Filipino people to determine whether former President Rodrigo Duterte deserves to be considered a hero for his controversial war on drugs, Malacañang said.
Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro made the remark in response to Duterte’s recent statement urging overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong to build a monument for him if he ends up in prison.
“Siguro po ang pagdedeklara ng isang tao na hero ay dapat hindi po siya ang nagsasabi noon – taumbayan ang magsasabi kung siya ay naging hero at pagawan siya ng monumento,” Castro said.
On Saturday, Duterte defended his administration’s anti-drug campaign, claiming he did everything possible to restore peace and order.
“Kung ganito man swerte ko sa buhay, okay lang, tatanggapin tayo, ikulong tayo… mag-contribute kayo ng $5 para paglabas ko sa presohan, magawan niyo ako ng monumento,” he said.
[Translation: If this is the luck I have in life, that’s fine, I’ll accept it, we’ll be scorned… You can contribute $5 so that when I get out of prison, you can build a monument for me]Known for injecting hyperbole and humor into his speeches, Duterte’s remarks have often been interpreted as jokes or deflections from legal scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Castro dismissed Duterte’s assertion that he had done nothing wrong in his bloody anti-drug campaign.
“Sinabi niya na he encouraged ‘di ba, he ordered the police officers to encourage the suspect to fight – for what, anong purpose noon? Ang sabi niya, inamin niya para magamit din iyong depensa because kapag lumaban ang isang suspect maaari itong masabing self-defense on the part of the police officers; pero hindi dapat ganoon ang gawi. There should be a due process,” she said.
[Translation: He said he encouraged, right? He ordered the police officers to encourage the suspect to fight – but for what, what was the purpose of that? He admitted to using it as a defense, because when a suspect fights back, it could be claimed as self-defense by the police officers; but that shouldn’t be the practice. There should be due process]The Palace official also acknowledged that while Duterte may still have strong support from his followers, his actions have left lasting scars on the families of drug war victims.
“Maybe sa mga taong hindi nabiktima ng extrajudicial killings at bloody ‘tokhang’ maaaring nagpupunyagi at pumapalakpak pero paano naman po iyong mga namatayan at iyong pamilya na nawalan ng kanilang mahal sa buhay dahil lang sa walang due process na ibinigay sa kanila,” Castro said.
[Translation: Maybe for those who were not victims of extrajudicial killings and the bloody ‘tokhang,’ they may be celebrating and applauding him, but how about those who lost loved ones and their families who lost their dear ones simply because they weren’t given due process?]
