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Hontiveros to Duterte: You are pinned down by your own statement

Cena de Guzman-Trinidad October 29, 2024 at 01:55 PM

Manila, Philippines – A heated exchange between Senator Risa Hontiveros and former President Rodrigo Duterte erupted during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, leading to a temporary suspension of the proceedings.

The tension began when Hontiveros questioned Duterte about his previous statement that he would assume full legal responsibility for the consequences of the drug war.

Duterte, visibly irked, raised his voice in response, saying, “Yung sinabi ko na I take full responsibility, pagdating tayo sa korte hindi naman tatanggapin yan.” Hontiveros then requested Senator Aquilino Pimentel, chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee, to remind Duterte to “keep his volume and pitch to a normal level.”

As the two continued to speak over each other, Pimentel intervened, suspending the hearing and noting that “the session is no longer productive.”

Duterte accused Hontiveros of trying to “pin him down” concerning the drug war’s bloody outcomes. However, Hontiveros countered that Duterte is “pinned down by his own statements.”

Earlier in the hearing, Duterte had stated that he would not take responsibility for the deaths of Kian delos Santos and Carl Anthony Nunez, who were killed in an anti-drug operation despite lacking possession of drugs or firearms. Hontiveros pointedly questioned Duterte on his previous public declarations of accountability, to which Duterte responded by accusing the senator of “just rambling.” Hontiveros clarified that her questions were specific, particularly about Duterte’s repeated assertion of taking full responsibility.

Duterte attempted to draw a distinction, stating that he would take responsibility for the general policy on the war on drugs, but not for specific crimes, such as in the cases of Delos Santos and Nunez. He asserted, “Policy nung president, I take full responsibility yung sinabi ko on the war on drugs, pero yung responsible for specific crimes, hindi pwede yan,” adding that the law specifies that “killed is personal.”

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