PH 
MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte's rhetorical question about why a former police officer who linked one of his former advisers to the illegal drug trade was still alive was an "indirect order to kill," several opposition candidates said Wednesday.
Duterte yesterday asked police and soldiers in a public speech why former police official Eduardo Acierto was still alive even though he supposedly imported high-caliber firearms for communist rebels.
Acierto claimed in an interview with some media organizations that former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang was involved in the operation of a clandestine drug laboratory in Davao City where Duterte served as mayor for over 2 decades before assuming the presidency in 2016.
"The wish of the commander is the command to the troops. 'Pag nagparinig ang commander mo, gawin mo na," former Navy captain and now Otso Diretso candidate Gary Alejano said in a press conference in San Juan City.
"Kapag sinabi niyang, 'Bakit buhay pa 'yan?' ibig sabihin, totoong inuutusan niya ang military at police na pumatay. Hindi coincidence na libu-libo na ang namamatay dahil nagmura siya sa publiko," he said.
(When he asks, 'Why is he still alive?' it means he is really commanding the military and police to kill. It is no coincidence that thousands have killed since he keeps cursing about it in public.)
Duterte's "indirect order to kill is an impeachable offense," Alejano's Otso Diretso co-candidate Florin Hilbay said.
Among the impeachable offenses under the 1987 Constitution is betrayal of public trust or "acts which are just short of being criminal but constitute gross faithlessness against public trust, tyrannical abuse of power, inexcusable negligence of duty, favoritism, and gross exercise of discretionary powers.”
But Duterte's threats against his critics would unlikely stand in court as the President's camp would simply dismiss it as another joke, Hilbay, a bar topnotcher and former solicitor general, added.
"'Pag trinato mo 'yung seryosong sinabi ng Presidente, sasabihin joke lang. This has become a very lazy and convenient excuse for him. That kind of language contributes to a culture of impunity," he said.
(If you treat the President's words seriously, they would say it was just a joke.)
Duterte's veiled threats are "dangerous" as the administration is "filled with sycophants," opposition senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares said.
"Kapag sinabi niyang iimpeach ang chief justice, nagkakandarapa na silang lahat iimpeach. Pag sabihin niyang birahin niya yung ICC [International Criminal Court] publicly, nagkandarapa sila para magwithdraw. Pagbibirahin niya si Sen. [Antonio] Trillanes nagkakandarapa sila para ma-nullify ang kaniyang amnesty," he said.
(When he said that he wants the chief justice impeached, they scampered to have her impeached. When he publicly lambasted the ICC, they scampered to withdraw from it. When he slammed Sen. Trillanes, they scampered to nullify his amnesty.)
"Kaya pag sinabi niyang 'Bakit buhay pa 'yan?' may mga message 'yan sa sycophants kaya napaka dangerous ng public statements na 'yan," he said.
(So when he says, 'Why is he still alive?', that sends a messages to sycophants. That's why those public statements are dangerous.)
Colmenares warned uniformed officials to be careful about acting on Duterte's orders.
"Presidents come and go. In a few years time, wala na diyan si President Duterte," he said.
The government should probe Acierto's claims instead of casting it aside, other candidates said.
"Kung hindi naman totoo yung sinasabi ni Acierto, bakit gusto niyang mamatay? Why does the president implicitly want to silence him?" human rights lawyer Jose Manuel "Chel" Diokno said.
"Kailangan malaman ng taumbayan ano ba talaga ang nangyari diyan," he said.
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