Bangsamoro, not drug war, is Duterte admin's greatest achievement: Gutoc

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Otso Diretso candidate Samira Gutoc faces the media on May 14, 2019 to concede defeat in the just concluded senatorial elections. Fernando G. Sepe Jr., ABS-CBN News" src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/10/05/20190514-elections-otso-fsj-1534.jpg"/><figcaption>Otso Diretso candidate Samira Gutoc faces the media on May 14, 2019 to concede defeat in the just concluded senatorial elections. Fernando G. Sepe Jr., ABS-CBN News</figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA <strong>(UPDATED) </strong>- The war on drugs could have been the Duterte administration&#x27;s greatest achievement if not for the thousands of alleged extrajudicial killings linked to it, senatorial bet Samira Gutoc said Tuesday. </p><p>&quot;Achievement--drugs could be but the deaths, EJKs are so astoundingly appalling. Sayang po eh. Yes peace and order in a way but the deaths from it are so warranting (of) questioning and investigation,&quot; she told ANC&#x27;s Headstart.</p><p>&quot;Achievement or maybe just a remarkable or the only thing that’s memorable. &#x27;Remember-able.&#x27; It was a shortcut process...mali talaga ang droga but ang pillars of justice system sana nilakasan.&quot;</p><p>(It was a shortcut process...drugs is really wrong but the justice system should have been strengthened.)</p><p>The Moro civic leader eventually answered that the administration&#x27;s greatest achievement was the Bangsamoro region.</p><p>&quot;As a resident of Marawi, malaking bagay po na he (President Rodrigo Duterte) sealed it with a signature from a 20-year dialogue--Aquino and all these administrations who had these peace talks,&quot; she said.</p><p>&quot;Maybe it’s the Bangsamoro law for me because yun ang alam ko eh. It affects 4 million people, nagkaroon ng (there came) respite, peace process and it will decrease insecurity and therefore bomb blast grenade advisories will lessen in the Philippines.&quot;</p><p>As for the administration&#x27;s biggest failure, Gutoc cited the lack of readiness in crisis response.</p><p>&quot;We know we’re a country of disasters and crises and medical infectious diseases. Lack of readiness is the biggest failure for me,&quot; she said.</p><p>Gutoc later Tuesday posted a video on social media clarifying her remarks and said she was not &quot;pro-drug war.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Kayo naman my gosh hindi naman po pro-drug war si Sam na remarkable is something positive. I was meaning na actually wala na ako maisip na accomplishment...but it doesn&#x27;t mean I&#x27;m pro how it was done or even the drug war itself,&quot; she said.</p><p>(I&#x27;m not pro-drug war that I would say remarkable as something positive. I meant, I couldn&#x27;t think of any accomplishment...)</p><p>&quot;Humihingi po ako ng pasensya sa aking (I would like to apologize for my) poor choice of words. I could have called it out flatly as a failure, and desecration of human lives,&quot; she tweeted.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="tl">Sa mga nagpabatid ng puna, wag po kayong mag-alala. Never po akong naging pro-drug war. Pasensya na po kayo sa interview kanina, wag po natin sana ma misconstrue. Thank you for bringing this to my attention and holding me accountable. Sama-sama tayong susulong. <a href="https://t.co/NtIVftkJKf">pic.twitter.com/NtIVftkJKf</a></p>— Samira Gutoc (@GutocSamira) <a href="https://twitter.com/GutocSamira/status/1445293989624614918?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2021</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Gutoc, who ran for senator under the Liberal Party in 2019, said she sought permission through a letter to party chairperson Vice President Leni Robredo before transferring to Aksyon Demokratiko.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/28/21/samira-gutoc-party-shift-doesnt-mean-i-betrayed-my-principles">Samira Gutoc: Move to Aksyon Demokratiko doesn’t mean I betrayed my principles</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/03/21/samira-gutoc-files-coc-for-senator-under-aksyon-demokratiko">Ex-Otso Diretso bet Samira Gutoc files COC for senator, tries luck anew after 2019 loss</a></li></ul><p>&quot;I reached out to all major leaders po ng Liberal. Nagpaalam po ako. Hindi po ako ang taong walang utang na loob,&quot; she said.</p><p>(I reached out to all major leaders po ng Liberal. I asked permission from them. I&#x27;m not someone who has no sense of gratitude.)</p><p>&quot;I think I&#x27;ve approached this 2 years in quarantine with a very dialogic approach. Marami sa ating leaders under so-called &#x27;dilawan&#x27; ay namatay, I&#x27;ve reached out to them whenever in need and they know I did not betray what I stood for.&quot;</p><p>(Many leaders under the so-called &#x27;yellow&#x27; party have passed away, I&#x27;ve reached out to them whenever in need and they know I did not betray what I stood for.)</p><p>Gutoc said she joined Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso in Aksyon Demokratiko as &quot;he was a person who would want to work with all colors and I respect that.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I did not come to him with any expectations although of course to help me tarpaulin my way thru the country especially in Manila, where he is the mayor,&quot; she said.</p><p>&quot;The heart to heart was respeto niya ako and irespeto ko rin siya (we will respect each other) on the positions that we hold,&quot; she said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1789558" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

The war on drugs could have been the Duterte administration's greatest achievement if not for the thousands of alleged extrajudicial killings.

Bangsamoro, not drug war, is Duterte admin's greatest achievement: Gutoc | ABS-CBN

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Bangsamoro, not drug war, is Duterte admin's greatest achievement: Gutoc

Bangsamoro, not drug war, is Duterte admin's greatest achievement: Gutoc

ABS-CBN News

Published Oct 05, 2021 10:41 AM PHT

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Updated Oct 05, 2021 07:19 PM PHT

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Headstart

Samira Gutoc

2022 elections

Rodrigo Duterte

Isko Moreno

Leni Robredo

Aksyon Demokratiko

Otso Diretso

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