Congress also ‘guilty’ of Duterte’s war on drugs; Alvarez explains why

Former President Rodrigo Duterte (left) and Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez (Toto Lozano/presidential photo)

Davao del Norte 1st District member of Congress Pantaleon Alvarez, a staunch ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte, says members of Congress are also responsible for the “bloodshed” during the previous administration’s controversial war on drugs.

In a sharp statement issued on Tuesday, October 22, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives slammed the “blatant hypocrisy” of lawmakers investigating Duterte’s bloody drug war.

“Hindi mangyayari war on drugs that hindi supports taong bayana during Congress noon 17th 18th Congress. We invite everyone to meet the kamara of the south, nandito during the 19th Congress,” Alvarez said.

(The war on drugs will not happen unless it is supported by the public and authorized by Congress in the 17th and 18th Congresses. A majority of the members of the house are then still present in the 19th Congress.)

“Kung guilty si meets with Pangulong Duterte, iisa lang ang ibig sabihin niyan: guilty rin ang Kongreso,” he stressed.

(If former President Duterte is guilty, it only means one thing: Congress is also guilty.)

The former president was invited to appear before Tuesday’s four-committee hearing of the House of Representatives to “provide valuable insights and shed light” on extrajudicial killings (EJK) issues during his term.

In a letter signed by his legal counsel, Duterte said Monday evening that he would not appear at the scheduled hearing, citing prior commitments and health problems.

However, he expressed his desire to appear before the megapanel after November 1.

Alvarez, who previously led the House of Representatives under Duterte, said Congress must also be ready to “face its own reckoning.”

He stressed that the blood shed during the war on drugs is not solely on Duterte’s hands, but also on the hands of lawmakers “who turned a blind eye” as the campaign claimed thousands of lives.

Human rights groups estimate that up to 30,000 Filipinos have been killed during the anti-drug campaign.

“Congress had the power to stop it, but it didn’t. Congress shares responsibility for the resulting collateral damage in the form of human costs. You can’t escape it,” Alvarez said.

The lawmaker argued that Congress passed multiple general appropriations bills year after year without providing “significant insight” into the consequences of funding counterdrug operations.

“Congress didn’t just fund the war on drugs – Congress legitimized it,” he stressed.

Alvarez also criticized lawmakers for allegedly blaming the war on drugs on Duterte, saying it was not a “one-man crusade.”

“Kung an an an an hanapin, malaki parte ng Congress dahil kung alang pondo, or the war on drugs,” he added.

(If the culprit is found, Congress has a big hand in it, because without funding there is no war on drugs.)