PARA sa chairman ng House Committee on Human Rights ang ginawang pag-amin ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte sa Senado kaugnay ng madugong war on drugs campaign ng kanyang administrasyon ay isang “legally actionable wrong.”

Ayon kay Manila Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr., isa ring chairman rin ng House Quad Committee, ang pag-ako ni Duterte sa responsibilidad ay nagbubukas ng daan sa mga otoridad upang ikonsidera ang pagsasampa ng kaso laban sa kanya.

“Duterte has committed to take responsibility and face the consequences of these acts as mandated by our laws. It is now up to the proper authorities to consider this statement carefully and ascertain the criminal liability of the responsible individuals, whether under the concept of command responsibility or conspiracy,” sabi ni Abante.

Sa pagdinig ng Senado, sinabi ni Duterte na inaako nito ang responsibilidad sa mga naging aksyon ng mga pulis sa pagpapatupad ng kanyang war on drugs.

Ayon kay Abante, ang pag-amin ni Duterte ay maaaring magamit laban sa kanya upang mapanagot sa ilalim ng Republic Act No. 9851, o ang“Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity.”

Ipinaliwanag ni Abante na sa ilalim ng RA 9851 ay nakasaad ang prinsipyo ng command responsibility kung saan maaaring papanagutin ang isang opisyal sa mga nagawa ng kanyang mga tauhan.

“The killings under former President Duterte’s so-called ‘war on drugs’ meet all the elements of Willful Killing as a Crime Against Humanity under Section 6 of RA 9851,” paliwanag ni Abante.

“The facts are clear … willful killings affected thousands of civilians, with the International Criminal Court estimating between 12,000 and 30,000 deaths between July 2016 and March 2019 alone,” dagdag pa nito.

Ipinunto ni Abante na ang mga pinaslang ay mga suspek o pinaghihinalaan pa lamang at ang pagpatay ay bahagi ng sistematikong kampanya.

“Former President Rodrigo Duterte himself took responsibility for the ‘shortcomings’ of his administration’s war on drugs. ‘Shortcomings’ that led to the deaths of thousands of innocent men, women and children,” saad ni Abante.

“In speaking directly about the extrajudicial killings perpetrated during the war on drugs, Duterte admitted, under oath, that he ‘alone takes full legal responsibility’ for the actions of his subordinates,” wika pa nito.

Sinabi ni Abante na hindi maaaring balewalain ang mga sinabi ni Duterte sa pagdinig ng Senado kung saan nanumpa ito na magsasabi ng katotohanan.

“These killings were executed under a State or organizational policy, namely, the anti-drug campaign of former President Duterte, which included a national system of rewards within the police hierarchy,” saad pa nito.

“Duterte’s admission in the Senate hearing, made spontaneously and as an admission against interest, is binding upon him,” dagdag pa nito.

Nagpahayag din si Abante ng pagkadismaya sa mistulang “shocking normalization of brutality.”

“Carelessly worded statements posted on Facebook by a normal citizen are called rants; carelessly worded statements spoken by a president are called policy,” saad pa nito.

Ayon kay Abante ang pagdinig ng Senado ay nagsilbi ring plataporma kay Duterte upang bigyang katwiran ang kanyang kampanya kontra droga.

“Mga kababayan, yesterday (Monday) we also saw how the former president was given a platform to rewrite history, to gaslight the nation by justifying acts that led to the deaths of thousands,” sabi pa ni Abante.

“We will not be swayed by these tactics, nor will we be deterred from seeking accountability. We are committed to ensuring that the victims of the war on drugs receive justice,” dagdag pa nito.

“The former president may attempt to dodge responsibility, but we will work tirelessly to hold him accountable for the lives lost, the families shattered, and the trust broken under his administration.”