Duterte’s jarring testimony into drug killings in Philippines relives a nightmare for many

MANILA, Philippines -- The cockiness, expletives and threats unleashed by erstwhile President Rodrigo Duterte successful a Senate enquiry brought backmost nan nightmare of nan bloody “war connected drugs” for galore families of nan thousands of victims who were gunned down nether his rule.

Speaking nether oath successful Monday's televised proceeding into nan killings, a defiantly combative Duterte returned to nan nationalist spotlight for nan first clip since leaving agency successful 2022 pinch small show of remorse.

He sewage distant pinch it again, critics say.

"If I’m fixed different chance, I’ll swipe each of you,” Duterte, 79, who is seeking a caller word arsenic politician of his confederate location metropolis of Davao adjacent year, said of supplier dealers and criminals.

Duterte again denied that he authorized extrajudicial killings of supplier suspects, saying location were nary “state-sponsored killings.” But he acknowledged that arsenic politician of Davao, earlier becoming president, he kept a mini “ death squad ” of gangsters whom he had ordered to destruct different criminals.

Duterte's profanity-laced outbursts frightened Randy delos Santos, who was invited by nan Senate to speak astir nan sidesplitting of his nephew, Kian, by constabulary nether Duterte’s “war connected drugs.” It felt, he said, for illustration a nightmare had returned.

"I had this frightening emotion that thousands of guiltless group whitethorn beryllium gunned down again,” delos Santos told The Associated Press connected Tuesday. “I was wondering why he was allowed to speak pinch disrespect and fixed a shape to vent his past excuses."

The thousands of killings — which quality authorities groups estimate could transcend 20,000 — nether Duterte were unprecedented successful caller Philippine history and triggered an International Criminal Court investigation arsenic a imaginable crime against humanity.

They person besides go a delicate responsibility statement successful nan progressively dispute rivalry betwixt Duterte and his children, including Vice President Sara Duterte, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. They had a bitter governmental fallout complete cardinal issues. While Duterte had nurtured cozy ties pinch Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Marcos has broadened defense and subject relations pinch nan United States and its Western allies.

“It’s unfortunate that drug-related crimes are connected nan emergence again. Everyday you tin publication astir children being raped, group getting killed and robbed and conscionable precocious a supplier den was raided wrong nan Malacanang complex,” Duterte said, referring to nan statesmanlike palace successful Manila. “Purveyors of this menace are backmost successful business.”

Duterte has antecedently accused Marcos of being a supplier addict and anemic leader. Marcos had retorted that Duterte was a personification of fentanyl, a painkiller and powerful opioid.

Looking frail and misstating his property arsenic 73 astatine 1 point, nan daylong Senate proceeding besides served arsenic nan latest reality cheque connected nan governmental restraints that Duterte and his family look aft he relinquished his grip connected power.

Duterte was 1 of Asia’s astir unorthodox leaders and carved a arguable governmental sanction for his deadly run against criminality, expletives-laced outbursts and disdain for quality authorities and nan West. He erstwhile called nan pope a “son of a bitch” for mounting disconnected a monstrous postulation jam during a Manila sojourn and told then-President Barack Obama to “go to hell” for criticizing his sadistic anti-drugs crackdown.

Duterte’s profanities became a trademark of his governmental persona and immoderate regarded him arsenic Asia’s Trump.

During a heated speech connected Monday, Duterte raised his sound astatine Sen. Risa Hontiveros, a staunch quality authorities activist, who said that his run had killed 122 children, including a baby. Hontiveros asked nan president overseeing nan proceeding to restrain nan progressively volatile Duterte, who rambled connected arsenic she spoke. He later stopped and apologized.

“You’re trying to pin maine down connected semantics,” Duterte blurted retired astatine Hontiveros, who changeable back: “You’re pinned by your ain words.”

"You were ne'er a mayor, charismatic … I was a prosecutor, mayor, president and I cognize my job. You should talk like, `Son of a bitch, you stop, aliases I will termination you,’” Duterte told nan senators.

A Roman Catholic priest, nan Rev. Flavie Villanueva, showed during nan proceeding a database of much than 300 victims, galore of them breadwinners of mediocre families, who were killed nether Duterte’s crackdown. A rotation of achromatic insubstantial pinch nan victims’ names that nan leader unfurled was truthful agelong it touched nan carpeted floor.

Former Sen. Leila de Lima, 1 of nan astir vocal critics of Duterte who was arrested and detained for years during his presidency, confronted him during nan hearing.

The supplier charges against her, she said, were fabricated by Duterte and his officials to extremity her investigation of nan supplier killings. She was cleared of nan charges and freed past year.

"This man … for truthful agelong has evaded justness and accountability,” de Lima said of Duterte, who sat adjacent her.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada asked why de Lima grounded to record immoderate criminal title against Duterte for truthful long.

Witnesses against Duterte, she said, were acrophobic to travel retired during his presidency erstwhile larges-cale killings were unfolding.

"There was an ambiance of fear, a civilization of fearfulness and impunity,” she said. "I dream galore much will travel retired now.”