At parliamentary hearing, Duterte defends drug war, refuses to apologize

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during a senate inquiry at the Philippine Senate Monday in Manila Philippines AP-Yonhap — Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during an inquiry at the Senate in Manila on Oct. 28, 2024. AP-Yonhap

SEOUL, October 29 (AJP) - Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appeared before a Senate committee on Monday to defend his controversial drug war, refusing to apologize and confronting families of victims who claim their relatives were killed unlawfully by police during his administration.

"I will not apologize. Don't question my policy. I did what I had to do for my country," Duterte declared in his first congressional testimony since leaving office in 2022, adding he takes full legal and moral responsibility for police actions under his orders.

While police data shows over 6,000 deaths during the anti-narcotics campaign, human rights groups claim tens of thousands were killed extrajudicially, with only nine officers convicted of murder to date.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) authorized a formal investigation into the drug war as crimes against humanity in 2021, though Duterte withdrew from the ICC in 2019 after preliminary probes began, and while current President Ferdinand Marcos initially opposed ICC involvement, tensions between the once-allied Marcos and Duterte families have recently escalated.

AJP