AMID the looming Senate investigation into the former president Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, Akbayan Representative Perci Cendaña urged Senators Bong Go and Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa to file for an indefinite leave of absence from the chamber.
Cendaña emphasized that their central involvement in the controversial anti-drug campaign, including their alleged roles in the killings and the implementation of the “Davao model” that incentivized rogue police officers for extrajudicial killings, presents a glaring conflict of interest and undermines the credibility of the Senate probe.
“Para namang pinagbabantay mo ang asong-gubat sa mga tupa, o pinagbabantay mo ang mga bayawak sa mga manok—gusto nilang maging imbestigador, pero sila mismo ang dapat iniimbestigahan. Senators Go and Dela Rosa can’t be allowed to judge the very bloodstains on their hands,” Cendaña said.
Akbayan, the political party of opposition leader Senator Risa Hontiveros, stressed that if Go and Dela Rosa are to participate in the Senate inquiry, it should only be as resource speakers, subject to the Senate’s scrutiny, rather than as impartial legislators overseeing the investigation. The party argued that this is the only way to ensure a fair and independent inquiry into the brutal anti-drug campaign, which has been marred by allegations of systematic human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings.
“Senators Go and Dela Rosa are not mere bystanders in this deadly chapter of our history—they are central figures. Their close association with Duterte and alleged active roles in perpetuating the killings mean that they cannot, in good conscience, participate in this probe as if they were mere observers. The Senate owes it to the Filipino people, especially the families of those who were unjustly killed, to conduct a credible investigation without any semblance of whitewashing or cover-up,” Cendaña added.
The Senate’s upcoming investigation seeks to revisit the Duterte administration’s anti-drug policy, which has drawn widespread condemnation from local and international human rights organizations for its toll on civilian lives and disregard for due process. Cendaña’s call comes amid growing demands for accountability, particularly following the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) resumption of its own investigation into the drug war and the House of Representatives’ ongoing QuadComm hearings.
Cendaña concluded by affirming that the investigation should mark a step toward rectifying the wrongs inflicted by the Duterte administration’s bloody anti-drug campaign. He also vowed that Akbayan would remain at the forefront of the fight for justice and accountability.
