On September 4th, Manila's 6th District Representative Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. stated that the investigation results from the quad-committee revealed the existence of a "quota system" related to the killing of drug suspects, which is closely linked to illegal gambling and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).
Abante pointed out that the investigation uncovered a complex and extensive smuggling and drug trafficking network associated with POGO and other gambling activities. He mentioned that these illegal funds were used to reward law enforcement officers for "eliminating" targets, leading to severe human rights violations.
During a recent quad-committee hearing, police officer Jovie Espenido disclosed that under the leadership of then Police Chief, now Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, the Duterte administration and the Philippine National Police (PNP) established a police "quota system."
It is alleged that during Duterte's drug war, a daily quota was set to "neutralize" 50 to 200 targets, where "neutralize" was understood within the police as "kill" suspects. Espenido also claimed that each "kill" was rewarded with 20,000 pesos, with funds sourced from illegal drugs, POGO, jueteng, and other illegal gambling activities.
Jueteng in the Philippines is an illegal numbers lottery gambling game, akin to a local underground lottery.
He further alleged that these funds were transferred through Duterte's chief aide, now Senator Christopher “Bong” Go. Although some drug lords were killed, most victims were "low-level" drug dealers and users.
According to human rights organizations, Duterte's drug war could have resulted in up to 30,000 deaths in the Philippines. Abante emphasized that Duterte, dela Rosa, Go, and others should attend the September 4th quad-committee hearing to respond to these allegations.
“We gave them the opportunity to explain the actions of the drug war, and I believe they have the responsibility to explain to the Filipino people,” Abante said.
