MANILA, Philippines — Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Monday lashed back at President Rodrigo Duterte, claiming the chief executive’s war on drugs had killed much more than those slain by Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda in its Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the U.S.
“Remember, his war on drugs has already killed more than 10,000 people. And that’s even higher than the 9/11 casualties,” Trillanes said during an interview with ANC’s Headstart.
“Remember, he is the president of the republic and he launched this policy against illegal drugs and the policemen are being ordered to randomly kill Filipinos based on mere suspicion,” he said.
The 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center complex in New York City resulted in the death of close to 3,000 people.
Meanwhile, according to a report by Philippine National Police (PNP), 3,451 drug personalities were killed in the government’s anti-narcotics operations from July 1, 2016 to July 26, 2017.
The number excludes the following deaths recorded by the PNP from July 2016 to March 24, 2017: 1,398 cases that were drug-related but not state-sanctioned; 828 deaths that were not connected to drugs; and 3,785 other killings that are under investigation.
Earlier, Duterte criticized Trillanes and called him crazy or “Trililing” and a “political ISIS” for continuing to hurl allegations against him and his family, particularly his son and son-in-law Davao Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte and lawyer Manases Carpio, who were linked by the senator to smuggling and corrupt activities at the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
‘Height of irony’
On Monday, Trillanes said the President’s criticism against him was “petty” and the “height of irony” because suspected drug users and peddlers were being killed by police forces “just based on suspicion, not even hearsay” but Duterte “invokes the bill of rights” for his son and son-in-law.
“(T)hey don’t have any intelligence report, they’re just being killed. And here comes his son and his son-in-law who are being alleged to be behind the Davao Group that facilitated the entry of this P6.4-billion drugs and yet he (the President) is invoking the bill of rights,” the senator said.
Duterte recently advised Paolo and Mans Carpio to attend the Senate inquiry on the BOC’s smuggling activities if they would be invited by the Blue Ribbon Committee chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon. But he also advised them not to respond to Trillanes’ queries.
“(J)ust say, I will not answer you, I’m invoking my right of silence because since election, before my father became president, you were already hitting us),” the President said.
On Monday, Trillanes said he would “definitely encourage” Paolo and Manases to “attend” the Senate investigation “without any conditions.”
In fact, they don’t need an invitation from the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. Their names were mentioned publicly. I believe there is a clamor for them to clear their names. Then, they can just volunteer,” the senator said.
But according to Trillanes, Gordon “did not grant” his motion for the two to attend the Senate hearing.
“Allowing the motion to be made is different from granting the motion…(T)he proper granting of the motion should have been, there is a motion made by Senator Trillanes to invite both Attorney Carpio and Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte for the next hearing. Is there any objection? Being none, the motion is approved,” he said.
“Or the informal way, which is to say, immediately that you direct the committee secretary to to invite the two for the next hearing,” added Trillanes.