Danniell Domingo

Former president Rodrigo Duterte refused to take full responsibility for the deaths of Kian delos Santos, 17 and Karl Anthony Nuñez, 20 during the Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee investigation on the war on drugs on Oct. 28.

Photo Courtesy of Jam Sta Rosa/AFP/Radyo La Verdad/ABS-CBN News.

Senator Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros confronted Duterte on his earlier pronouncement, in which he took full responsibility for the policy regarding the drug war campaign he implemented for the police, but offered no apologies for the victims of extrajudicial killings (EJK) resulting from the campaign.

“Sabi niyo rin po kanina, you take full and legal responsibility for the consequences of the drug war. Kanina rin sabi niyo maraming mali. So halimbawa si Kian delos Santos, menor de edad, hindi armado, nagmamakaawa, pero pinatay ng mga pulis sa drug war. Do you take responsibility for the death of Kian delos Santos?” Hontiveros asked.

Duterte replied that he was referring to the policy he created.

Hotiveros dug up Duterte's statements back in October 2020 and 2021, where the ex-president was quoted as saying that he is the one to be held responsible for any death that has occurred in the execution of the drug war and that he assumes full responsibility.

“Do you assume full responsibility for the death of Kian delos Santos?” the senator asked again.

“No,” Duterte replied, raising his voice.

Hontiveros posed the same question regarding the death of Karl Anthony Nuñez, a ‘mistaken identity’ victim of EJK who was found with no drugs or weapons in his possession.

“Alam mo ma’am, you ramble on those many things. Hindi, specific ang law. Guilt is personal. Hindi mo pwedeng ipasa sa iba yan,” Duterte said, and later on asked to suspend the hearing.

When the hearing resumed, Hontiveros clarified that she was asking Duterte if he takes full responsibility for the death of Nuñez, but the ex-president again denied it in a raised voice.

“Kung magpasok ka ng specific crime, hindi pwede yan. At saka, kung sabihin ko ‘I will take full responsibility,’ magdating tayo sa korte,” Duterte reiterated. “Hindi naman tatanggapin yan!”

At that moment, Hontiveros called out to Duterte and asked if he could keep his voice to a normal level.

Duterte assumed that the senator was trying to pin him down.

“You are pinned down by your own statements in October. I’m not trying to pin you down,” Hontiveros asserted.

“Do not pin me down on semantics,” Duterte said.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, chairman of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee, then suspended the hearing because the exchange was no longer ‘productive’.

In 2017, the death of Delos Santos drew public clamor and nationwide condemnation due to conflicting witness accounts and police reports. 

Witnesses said police shot delos Santos while he was blindfolded and beaten.

The official police report claimed that Delos Santos fought back (nanlaban) and drew a gun against them.

However, three police officers– Arnel Ores, Jeremias Pereda and Jerwin Cruz– were later found guilty of Murder sentenced to reclusion perpetua.

The family of Delos Santos has yet to achieve justice following the acquittal of three police officers from charges of planting evidence.

In a 2017 year-end accomplishment report by the Office of the President, there were 20,322 listed deaths related to drug war only from the period of July 2016 to November 2017.