Sara dares accuser: File murder raps over Tokhang

MANILA, Philippines —  Vice President Sara Duterte is challenging self-confessed hitman Arturo Lascañas to file murder charges against her in the Philippines after the former police officer accused her of spearheading deadly Oplan Tokhang anti-drug operations when she was Davao City mayor in 2012.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday during her visit to Malaysia, Duterte said she had no plans to file charges against Lascañas, an alleged member of the original Davao Death Squad, even if the accusations against her were grave.

“I have no plans to file a case against him. In fact, I am challenging him to file a murder case against me in the Philippines,” she said.

Lascañas held an online press conference last month where he claimed he had submitted an affidavit to the International Criminal Court (ICC) about the killings allegedly orchestrated in Davao City by former president Rodrigo Duterte and the involvement of the Vice President when they were still heading the local government.

Sara shrugged off Lascañas’ accusations earlier, saying these were “scripted.”

ICC’s investigation covers the killings committed during the drug war from July 1, 2016 to March 16, 2019 – when former president Duterte pulled out the country from the Rome Statute.

It also covers the Davao Death Squad killings between Nov. 1, 2011 to June 30, 2016 when the former president served as vice mayor then mayor of Davao City.

The former president was vice mayor from 2010 to 2013, during which time his daughter was mayor.

The younger Duterte also served as Davao City mayor from 2016 to 2022, but it was still unclear whether the ICC would be including this stint in the investigation.

The ICC prosecutors have also yet to bare whether the Vice President was indeed among the individuals being investigated, aside from her father and former Philippine National Police chief and now Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, among others.

Asked what legal recourse her father is currently drawing up amid rumors of a looming arrest warrant, Duterte said she has not spoken to her father regarding the ICC.

“I’m sure he’s speaking to lawyers because the former president is also a lawyer. He understands legal implications and procedures of the ICC,” she added.