MANILA, Philippines – Former President Rodrigo Duterte should face charges for crimes against humanity in connection with the killings of approximately 30,000 people during his war on drugs. This recommendation was made by the House Quad-Committee. 

In a plenary speech, Surigao del Norte 2nd District Representative Ace Barbers stated that the committee “recommends the filing of appropriate charges against perpetrators of crimes against humanity under Section 6 of Republic Act No. 9581 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity.”

Barbers named the individuals implicated: former President Rodrigo Duterte, Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Lawrence “Bong” Go, former Philippine National Police (PNP) chiefs Oscar David Albayalde and Debold Sinas, Police Colonels Royina Garma and Edilberto Leonardo, and Herminia “Muking” Espino. 

“The investigations brought to light a harrowing narrative of abuse of power and institutional impunity during the Duterte administration,” Barbers emphasized. 

The investigation uncovered “witness testimonies, corroborated by evidence, [which] revealed a system that incentivized the killing of suspected drug personalities, a system modeled after the so-called Davao Template and replicated nationwide.” 

Garma, during her testimony, disclosed details of the Davao Template, an alleged system that provided monetary rewards for each confirmed kill. 

The Quad-Committee also linked Duterte, Garma, Leonardo, Senior Police Officer 4 Arthur Narsolis, and Superintendent Gerardo Padilla to the deaths of three Chinese drug suspects inside the Davao Prison and Penal Farm in 2016. 

Additionally, the committee recommended the filing of charges against Garma, Leonardo, Colonel Santie Mendoza, Nelson Mariano, Jeremy “Toks” Causapin, and an individual identified only as “Loloy” for their alleged involvement in the killing of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Corporate Secretary Wesley Barayuga. 

Barbers further revealed that the committee will launch a deeper investigation into the alleged drug connections of Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte. This inquiry will include individuals such as Nilo Abellera Jr., Paul Gutirrez, Benny Antiporda, Jojo Bacud, “Tita Nanie,” and Allen Capuyan, based on revelations from resource persons Jimmy Guban and Mark Taguba.

📷 House of Representatives of the Philippines