| Malacanang said that despite all the noise to put the President down, President Duterte’s focus is on the Filipino people.
“Sa totoo lang po ay ang ano ba talaga ang pursuit, ano ba talaga ang habol ng Presidente kundi isang maayos na bayan. Isang bayan na talagang nararapat para sa ating mga Pilipino,” Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a Radyo ng Bayan interview on Saturday, March 11.
Abella also shrugged off reports that Senate witnesses retired police officer Arturo Lascañas and Edgar Matobato are willing to testify against President Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The Presidential Spokesperson said the Duterte administration has not done any crime that would be applicable for trial before the ICC.
“Unang-una po siguro eh maintintindihan natin ‘yung… mga krimen na pinagusapan sa ICC ay ano po ‘yan eh, may kanya-kanyang klasipikasyon,” Abella said.
“Wala naman tayong kinakalaban na ethnic, racial or religious na mga grupo,” he added.
The Palace official also said that the Duterte administration cannot be faulted for extra-judicial killings.
“Hindi po applicable sa atin ‘yung extra-judicial killings ‘no… wala, hindi po applicable. Hindi siya state-sanctioned tsaka ang ano po natin, ang dinideal natin dito ay ano, krimen against drugs and dealers and drug addiction and drug dealing so ano po ito, this is something that kumbaga… actually nga police ano ‘yan eh, these are just police operations,” Abella explained.
Further, the Palace is unfazed by reports that the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has formed a new team to reopen the investigation on the so-called Davao Death Squad because Lascañas has already lost his credibility.
“Discredited na po ‘yung si Lascañas at kung sino man ang kasa-kasama niya eh siyempre, kaduda-duda rin,” Abella said.###PND |
