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Former President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday offered no apologies or excuses for his actions as he faced a Senate investigation into his widely criticized bloody war on drugs for the first time.
“My mandate as President of the Republic was to protect the country and this Filipino people,” Duterte said, reading from his prepared statement during the hearing of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee.
“Don’t question my policies because I offer no apologies, no excuses. I did what I had to do, and whether you believe it or not, I did it for my country,” he stressed.
The former leader then went on to defend his administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of drug suspects.
