A former Philippine police colonel testified that Rodrigo Duterte's office paid police up to $17,000 to kill suspects as part of his “war on drugs,” prompting calls to send evidence to the International Criminal Court.
Roina Karma, a former police colonel who had close ties to Duterte, presented the most damning evidence yet against the former president when she told a parliamentary committee last week that she called him in May 2016 and asked him to find an officer of competent police. Implements the “War on Drugs” at the national level.
The national crackdown should be based on the model implemented in Davao, where Duterte was previously mayor: “This Davao model represents a system that involves money and rewards.”
Under this “model,” police could earn between P20,000 ($346) and P1m ($17,340) per death, depending on the target, Karma told the hearing. He said rewards were only given for murders, not arrests.
Duterte has previously denied authorizing extrajudicial killings. However, he threatened to kill drug traffickers before and after his presidency. He urged people to kill drug addicts and dealers. In 2016, he claimed that he personally killed the suspects when he was mayor.
Duterte's anti-drug crackdown, which human rights groups say has killed 30,000 people, mostly young people, is being tried by the International Criminal Court, but President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. campaigned alongside Duterte's daughter, Sara. Duterte. In 2022, it had previously said it would not comply with the ICC.
Marcos Jr. said the cases should be handled by Philippine courts and described the ICC as a threat to the country's sovereignty.
Cristina Conti of the National Association of People's Lawyers, which represents some families affected by the war on drugs, said the government should present evidence to the ICC and allow its investigators access to Karma, who is now in custody.
He said doing so would speed up investigations. “There is a layer of judicial process that can be avoided if properly advised by the government. “A future recommendation for recognition and subsequent interviews, as well as access to the witness, can be negotiated through the government,” he added.
Relations between the Marcos and Duterte dynastic families have deteriorated in recent times, and analysts say Marcos could sue Duterte if he believes it would be politically advantageous.
Speaking before a House of Representatives panel on Friday, Karma said that in May 2016, around 5 a.m., he received a call from Duterte, who told him to meet him at his Doña Luisa residence. , Davao.
“I already knew then-Mayor Duterte, having worked as commander of one of Davao's police stations during his tenure,” he said in his affidavit.
“During our meeting, he asked me to find an officer or operative of the Philippine National Police (PNP) who was a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo, pointing out the need for someone capable of implementing the war on drugs at the national level to reflect Davao . Model.”
Iglesia ni Cristo is an influential Christian group that endorsed Duterte during his presidential campaign.
“The Davao model involves three tiers of fees or rewards. A reward if the suspect dies first. Secondly is the financing of planned activities. The third is to recover operating costs,” Karma alleged.
His comments added to earlier testimony before the committee by police Lt. Col. Jovi Espenido, known as the former drug war poster boy, accused of paying rewards for the murders.
Karma, who was also director general of the Philippine Foundation Sweepstakes Office, named several people in his affidavit, including Duterte's top adviser, now a senator, Pang Ko. All murders and requests for reimbursement of expenses operatives were communicated to Go, he stated.
Koh denied receiving payment for the murders or having any role in handling the funds. Coe has said he supports the Senate investigation into the war on drugs, of which he is a member.
Human rights groups and lawyers working for victims' families say national agencies cannot be trusted to deliver real justice. Conti, the victim's lawyer, said: “Any internal, judicial, [or] More like a prosecution, because the people who carry out the investigation or processing may also be involved.”
Carlos Conde, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch's Asia division, said: “There is no way we can expect [law enforcement agencies] A fair, impartial and thorough investigation into the murders must be carried out.
