Duterte 2.0

Former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte spent almost 10 hours seated before the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee hearing on the "Philippine war" on illegal drugs, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024.

- TONY LOPEZ

The title alone of the subcommittee is a dead giveaway -- it should have been illegal drugs war. "Philippine war" makes the killings sound state-sponsored, a national policy, a strategy. And a hugely successful one, if you ask Dear Digong.

Unlike the House quad version -- dangerous drugs, public order and safety, human rights, public accounts -- hearing on extrajudicial killings, you sense the crime right away.

Accordingly, in his 950-word opening statement, delivered in Taglish, spiced with anecdotes (like his having to make both ends meet, being newly wed, teaching at the police academy), Duterte, 73, proceeded to redeem himself, before the panel, before the people, before the court of public opinion. The verdict: not guilty.

Duterte's, live on national TV, was a virtuoso solo performance. It was so mesmerizing Digong, supposedly a spent force (he hinted he could barely afford the plane fare from Davao to Manila and back when the guy is easily worth P10 billion), even got an exuberant applause from the gallery. Even after cursing no less than 25 times (p****ng a).

This is a guy who is supposed to be the most evil president we ever had. He killed up to 30,000, claim human rights groups. He allowed corrupt cronies to plunder (remember Pharmally of COVID era?). He allowed Chinese citizens to penetrate the innards of the bureaucracy (remember Alice Guo?). He allowed POGOs which became sprawling licensed crime syndicates. He made the Philippines a province of China, which treats the entire South China Sea as its backyard swimming pool and garrison.