MANILA (The Straits Times/ANN): For nine hours on October 28, it seemed as if the irreverent Rodrigo Duterte was back in the commander’s seat.

The former Philippine president returned to the national spotlight for the first time since his six-year term ended in 2022, as he faced a Senate committee investigating the bloody war on drugs he waged and which left thousands dead at the hands of police and vigilantes, often without proof they were linked to drugs.

Police say more than 6,000 drug suspects have been killed, but human rights groups say the death toll is double that.

Brash and unapologetic as usual, Mr. Duterte admitted during the hearing that during his tenure as president, he had ordered the police to encourage drug suspects to fight back so that officers could justify their killing .

He said these are the same instructions he gave to his “death squad” that targeted drug suspects when he was mayor of the southern city of Davao for 22 years, before becoming president in 2016 Mr. Duterte has said in the past that he modeled his “war on drugs” on the controversial anti-drug campaign he first led in his own territory.

“Do not question my policies because I make no excuses, no apologies. I did what I had to do, and whether you believe it or not, I did it for my country,” Mr. Duterte said in expletive-filled testimony that began at 10 a.m.

Critics like respected human rights lawyer Chel Diokno say the ex-president made a “damning” confession that the International Criminal Court (ICC) can now use to bolster its ongoing investigation into crimes against humanity against Mr. Duterte.

The Senate and ICC are currently investigating allegations of state-sanctioned killings in the Philippines’ drug crackdown.

But political analysts say the main goal of the televised Senate hearing was to give Mr. Duterte an opportunity to flex his political muscles again, as his once-ruling dynastic clan struggles for relevance in the amid a heated feud with his former ally, outgoing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Mr Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, has verbally attacked Mr Marcos in recent weeks, accusing him of winning the presidency in 2022 without a clear agenda and even saying he was unfit to be president. The Marcos-Duterte group won a landslide victory in the 2022 presidential election, building on the promise of uniting the nation – a unity that has now clearly collapsed.

“He (Duterte) went to the Senate and said all these things that shocked everyone. “He behaved like a tough guy in the streets and showed his supporters that he is still that alpha dog who can still dominate in an official setting,” Michael Yusingco, a senior researcher at the group, told The Straits Times. reflection Ateneo Policy Center based in Manila. . “The senators played into Duterte’s hands.”

In the Philippines, people who testify in Senate hearings are generally not afforded such freedom of expression. On the contrary, people under investigation for alleged wrongdoing tend to be on their best behavior when in the hot seat. For example, former Mayor Alice Guo and an alleged Chinese spy, who was questioned by senators in September as part of ongoing investigations into her alleged ties to Chinese crime syndicates.

Yet Mr. Duterte was allowed to continue his boorish behavior. Three senators allied with the ex-president even defended the war on drugs during the hearing and tried to pass off some of his statements as simple jokes.

Only the opposition senator, Risa Hontiveros, harshly questioned the ex-president and had a heated exchange with him during the hearing.

But it’s not surprising that the Senate acted this way, said political analyst Aries Arugay, a visiting senior fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. As the midterm election season kicked off in October with the registration of their candidacy, it was natural for senators to make political calculations to safeguard their interests, Dr. Arugay said.

Duterte himself has announced his intention to run for mayor of Davao, the family stronghold, in the midterm elections in May 2025.

“Many of these senators are running for office in 2025 and are trying to woo Duterte’s base,” Dr. Arugay said. “At the end of the hearing, the Senate revealed the quality of its composition – or lack thereof. The Senate has lost its credibility here.”

Mr. Arugay added that Mr. Duterte’s appearance sent a message to his supporters that his daughter, the vice president, is not alone in her dispute with Mr. Marcos.

While local surveys show a decline in the approval and trust ratings of Mr. Marcos and Ms. Duterte amid their feud in recent months, the vice president still gets higher marks than the president.

All eyes are now on whether the Marcos administration will launch its own investigation into the war on drugs based on Mr. Duterte’s latest statements.

Launching an investigation would mean Mr. Marcos losing the support of Filipino voters who still support Dutertes, Mr. Yusingco said. Meanwhile, handing over the investigation to the ICC would be a sign of weakness in the Philippine justice system.

Despite his feud with Duterte, President Marcos asserted in May that the ICC had no jurisdiction over the Philippines and said he would not hand over his predecessor if an arrest warrant was issued.

“So President Marcos is in a bind now because he has to do something. He can’t just sit on the fence this time,” Mr. Yusingco said.

“But he has to choose now. “It’s a difficult choice,” he added. -The time of the straits/ANN