2-2-2024 (MANILA) Vice President Sara Duterte has challenged her accuser to take legal action against her after being accused of involvement in extrajudicial killings by a former police officer. Duterte denied the allegations, dismissing them as part of a political plot orchestrated by her enemies. In a video statement posted on her Facebook account, she addressed the claims made by police officer Arturo Lascañas, who accused both Duterte and her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, of orchestrating the execution of approximately 10,000 people in Davao City.
Lascañas alleged that Sara Duterte, during her tenure as Davao City mayor in 2012, devised the “Oplan Tokhang” strategy, instructing the then Davao City police chief, now Senator Ronald dela Rosa, to kidnap and bury drug suspects, making them appear as missing persons rather than victims of killings. He also claimed that Rodrigo Duterte was involved in running shabu laboratories in Davao City, an accusation the former president has previously denied.
Vice President Duterte questioned the timing of Lascañas’ interview, suggesting that it could be a desperate attempt to implicate her and her father in extrajudicial killings amid the ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC). She stated that the sudden emergence of a witness against her following her election as Vice President, along with her inclusion as one of the accused in the ICC investigation, indicated an orchestrated effort to tarnish her reputation.
Duterte reiterated her stance that the ICC has no authority to interfere in the country’s domestic judicial affairs, considering it an affront to Philippine sovereignty. She challenged the witness and those supporting him to file a murder case against her within the Philippines, emphasizing her belief that the ICC has no jurisdiction in the matter.
Senator Bong Go, who was also implicated by Lascañas in extrajudicial killings, denied ever receiving illegal orders from the former president. He dismissed Lascañas’ allegations as baseless and lacking evidence, stating that if there were any truth to the claims, charges would have been filed by now.
Critics of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs called for the ICC investigation to proceed, urging the Vice President to cooperate with the inquiry. They emphasized the need for truth to be unveiled and justice to be served for the victims of human rights abuses during the Duterte presidency.
The Dutertes have consistently denied the existence of death squads in Davao City. However, legal counsel for the victims of the war on drugs argued that allowing the ICC to investigate would be the best course of action to shed light on the allegations and provide an opportunity for the truth to be revealed. The lawyer also criticized Vice President Duterte’s attempts to dismiss the ICC investigation as an attack on sovereignty, asserting that her inaction and silence during the reported human rights violations indicate support and enablement.
