Former President Rodrigo Duterte has been accused of being at the center of a massive criminal network tied to the illegal drug trade and other crimes. This revelation came from Antipolo Representative Romeo Acop, the vice chairperson of the House Quad Committee (QuadComm), during the conclusion of its extensive investigation into Duterte’s controversial war on drugs.
Shocking Testimonies and Marathon Hearings
Acop, speaking late Thursday night, revealed that testimonies from key witnesses during the committee’s 12 marathon hearings pointed to Duterte as a central figure in a “grand criminal enterprise.” He expressed his dismay at the findings, calling it painful and shocking.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the Quad Committee has started to uncover a grand criminal enterprise, and it would seem that at the center of it is the former president,” Acop said.
He also lamented how the country was “deceived,” alleging that Duterte and his allies flooded the nation with illegal drugs for profit.
Colonel Acierto’s Allegations
One of the most explosive accusations came from former police Colonel Eduardo Acierto, who claimed that Duterte was the “lord of all drug lords.” Acierto, now in hiding, alleged that Duterte wanted him dead for exposing these secrets. Acop highlighted the dangerous environment for whistleblowers, noting that Acierto’s life is at risk.
Counterclaims and Denials
Former presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo dismissed the accusations as baseless and politically motivated. He argued that the testimonies were either coerced or hearsay and would not hold up in court. Panelo suggested the allegations were part of a campaign to discredit Duterte and his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, ahead of the 2028 presidential elections.
Testimonies from Key Figures
Acop cited several individuals who linked Duterte to illegal activities:
- Jimmy Guban, a former Customs officer, claimed a seized multi-billion-peso shabu shipment in 2018 was connected to Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband Mans Carpio, and former presidential adviser Michael Yang.
- Retired Colonel Royina Garma and former senator Leila de Lima also provided testimony pointing to Duterte’s involvement in illegal activities.
- Arturo Lascañas, a confessed hitman of the Davao Death Squad, accused Duterte of orchestrating extrajudicial killings during his term as Davao City mayor.
Acop noted that common personalities like Acierto, Guban, Lascañas, and others repeatedly appeared in these accounts, painting a consistent picture of Duterte’s alleged role in criminal operations.
Rewards for Killings
One of the most disturbing revelations was the alleged reward system during Duterte’s war on drugs. Acop cited accounts that operators of drug laboratories, chemists, and small-time dealers were systematically killed, with rewards as high as ₱100,000 per kill.
Colonel Jovie Espenido, a former police official, corroborated this, claiming that many police officers were incentivized to participate in the killings. This system reportedly created a culture where extrajudicial killings were encouraged and normalized.
Acop also referenced Duterte’s own admission during a press conference about ordering the killing of 11 Chinese chemists and workers involved in a shabu lab in 2004. Duterte allegedly offered a ₱500,000 reward for the operation.
The Dark Reality of the Drug War
Acop criticized Duterte’s war on drugs, calling it a means to eliminate competition in the illegal drug trade rather than an effort to eradicate drugs. He pointed to the staggering number of deaths—30,000 according to some data—many of whom Duterte dismissed as “collateral damage.”
“What’s painful is that President Duterte won on a platform of a hardline stance against illegal drugs and criminality,” Acop said. “It turns out he is the face of illegal drugs and criminality.”
Moving Forward
The findings of the QuadComm investigation shed light on the dark underbelly of Duterte’s administration and its war on drugs. As more testimonies come to light, the committee vows to continue its probe into these grave allegations, hoping to bring justice to the countless victims of the drug war.
