Sara ready to face accusations she was part of drug war

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MANILA, Philippines: Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday said that she was ready to face accusations that she was part of the highly controversial drug war perpetrated by her father and former president Rodrigo Duterte.

In a televised interview, former senator Antonio Trillanes 4th claimed that Duterte was among the respondents in the International Criminal Court’s investigation into the campaign that allegedly saw thousands of innocents killed.

Trillanes said that the former Davao city mayor allegedly approved to continue the “Oplan Tokhang” operations under her administration.

“There is evidence that when she was still mayor, extrajudicial killings in Davao City continued and that the Davao Death Squad sought her permission to continue the ‘Tokhang’ program under mayor Rodrigo Duterte,” Trillanes said in Filipino.

The Davao Death Squad or DDS allegedly carried out the killings of drug suspects in Davao City for then mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

But in a statement, the vice president said that in the years of her serving as Davao City mayor, there was no talk of her being part of the so-called “Davao Death Squad.”

“But when I became vice president, suddenly, there were witnesses against me and now I am part of the accused in the International Criminal Court. I don’t need a death squad for the things that I can do,” she said in Filipino.

She said that she was ready to face any accusation against her but will face the charge before a Filipino judge and a Filipino court.

Duterte said that she will not participate or take part in a process that would not only put the country into shame, but would also destroy the dignity of Filipino courts, judges, and the justice system.

She further urged Filipinos not to shame the country by allowing foreigners in the country to participate in any investigation.