Metro Manila, Philippines – Let the Filipino people decide whether or not former President Rodrigo Duterte can be considered a hero for his controversial war on drugs, Malacanang said on Monday, March 10.
Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro made this statement during a press briefing when asked about Duterte’s request to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong to build a monument for him should he be imprisoned.
“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.
[Translation: Perhaps the declaration of a person as a hero should not come from the person themselves – it is the people who will decide if he is a hero and if a monument should be built for him]
Duterte claimed on Sunday that 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 5 dollars para paglabas ko sa presohan magawan niyo ako monumento,” Duterte 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.]
Duterte has been known to season his speeches with hyperbole or jokes to avoid legal action.
Castro also refuted Duterte’s claims that he did nothing wrong during the 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,” Castro 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 stated that while Duterte may be praised by his supporters, the same will not be true for the victims of his drug war.
“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.]
