Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla has confirmed that his office will investigate the implementation of the drug war under former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.
In an interview with Rappler, Remulla said the Office of the Ombudsman will review what aspects of the anti-drug campaign should be reexamined, noting that thousands of Filipinos lost their lives during the operations.
“We will revisit the drug war from the perspective of the Ombudsman. Idi-dig up namin lahat ng complaints diyan during the drug war,” said Remulla, who was once an ally of the Duterte family.
He added that the lack of accountability within law enforcement contributed to the escalation of abuses during the campaign.
“I’ll get to it kasi nga kaya sa ICC na-file ‘yong kaso, wala talaga magawa dito kahit police report wala. Dapat ‘yan pinanagot ‘yang mga ‘yan. Isang police report lang na kulang diyan, dapat ‘yong station commander niyan dapat ano na kaagad eh tanggal na kaagad diyan o kaya suspendido kaagad. Pero wala eh. They were coddled,” he said.
Former President Duterte is currently detained at the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague, Netherlands, as he faces charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC) related to alleged crimes against humanity committed during his bloody war on drugs.
Aside from reopening the drug war investigation, Remulla said his office is also looking into other major issues, including alleged irregularities in flood control projects, the “secret” dismissal of the plunder case against Senate Deputy Minority Leader Joel Villanueva, and the supposed questionable spending of confidential funds by Vice President Sara Duterte, the former president’s daughter.