Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon – Photo courtesy of Terry Ridon/Facebook
Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon rejected Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim that killings linked to the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign could have stemmed from personal disputes rather than police operations.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Ridon said the cases before the International Criminal Court (ICC) were backed by documented evidence and should not be portrayed as uncertain or speculative.
He maintained that the deaths under investigation were tied to the implementation of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, adding that the ICC case did not arise from baseless allegations.
Sara Duterte recently argued that some of the reported extrajudicial killings could have resulted from the country’s gun violence, saying contract killings could allegedly be arranged for as little as Php 5,000.
She questioned whether all the victims identified by complainants before the ICC could automatically be considered casualties of the anti-drug campaign or crimes against humanity.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said that if the vice president possessed information pointing to widespread contract killings, she should have reported it to law enforcement authorities.
Adiong also said public officials had a duty to help address violent crime regardless of political affiliation, adding that such information should be shared with the proper agencies if supported by evidence.
The vice president is currently facing an impeachment trial before the Senate, where one of the articles concerns alleged threats she made against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez. Her legal team has argued that the remarks were protected speech, while the prosecution maintains they constituted a grave threat.
