Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (FPRRD) remained firm that his campaign against illegal drugs during his watch was for the sake of the Filipinos.
Presenting himself for the first hearing conducted by the Blue Ribbon Subcommittee on Monday, the former president expressed gratitude to the Senate for its invitation.
Duterte addressed the accusations against him, particularly regarding the extrajudicial killings under the "war on drugs" campaign. He stated that he is not making excuses, as his intention was solely to protect the Filipinos.
"My mandate as president was to protect the country and the Filipino people. Do not question my policies because I offer no apologies, no excuses. I did what I had to do," the former president said.
"Whether you believe it or not, I did it for my country," he added.
According to Duterte, the war on drugs is not about killing people, but rather "protecting the innocent and the defenseless."
"The war on drugs is about the eradication of illegal substances such as shabu, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, party drugs, and the like, which ruin people, families, communities, and relationships, tearing apart the social fabric that binds society in peace, harmony, and brotherhood," Duterte said.
As of the record, there were at least 6,200 drug suspects killed in police operations from June 2016 to November 2021. However, several human rights groups have refuted this, claiming that the number may have reached as high as 30,000 due to unreported related killings.