13-11-2024 (MANILA) In a dramatic turn during Wednesday’s House quad committee hearing, former President Rodrigo Duterte announced plans to establish a P1 million fund to support police officers facing legal challenges from their involvement in his controversial war on drugs campaign.
The announcement came after committee co-chair Dan Fernandez of Santa Rosa City questioned Duterte about current Police Chief Rommel Marbil’s statement indicating no record of support for officers implicated in drug-related operations during his presidency.
“I will establish a protection fund for the police. I’m pledging P1 million. I will raise the money. I have P1 million – just P1 million, and I won’t exaggerate,” Duterte declared during the hearing. He further committed to personally appear as defence counsel for officers facing charges.
The session revealed striking statistics from Marbil’s records covering July 2016 to June 2022, showing 1,286 officers were affected by the drug war – including 312 fatalities and 974 wounded. Additionally, 214 officers faced 352 criminal charges related to anti-drug operations.
A notable exchange occurred when Fernandez expressed surprise at Duterte’s financial pledge, referencing the former president’s recent claim of being unable to afford travel expenses to attend the hearing. Duterte responded that the promised funds were from his “subsistence” money.
The intensity of the questioning led panel lead co-chair Rep. Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte to temporarily suspend proceedings. The hearing comes after committee members had previously offered to cover Duterte’s travel expenses to ensure his attendance at the crucial investigation.
