Sonny Buenaventura’s recent appearance before the Quad Committee has done little to remove the dark cloud of suspicion surrounding his role as a key player in Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody and brutal anti-crime crusade. Known for his unshakeable loyalty, Buenaventura has been more than just a mere aide to Duterte; he has been Duterte’s shadowy fixer, the man who allegedly executed Duterte’s most covert and sinister orders during his tenure as Davao City mayor. Buenaventura’s denials, evasions, and implausible statements reek of a desperate attempt to protect Duterte at all costs, even if that means concealing the horrific truth of the Davao Death Squad’s (“DDS”) operations.

Arturo Lascañas’ affidavit and Royina Garma’s damning testimony put Buenaventura at the very core of a systematic campaign of violence and intimidation that targeted not just alleged criminals, but journalists, political adversaries, and anyone perceived as a threat to Duterte’s iron grip on Davao. According to Lascañas, Buenaventura was more than just a messenger; he was a vital piece in the deadly machinery, coordinating logistics, distributing funds, and relaying orders from Duterte to the DDS. This wasn’t just “loyalty” — it was a complete renunciation of moral responsibility in the name of protecting Duterte’s rule.

Garma’s testimony adds another layer to Buenaventura’s role as Duterte’s enabler, claiming that he distributed reward money for extrajudicial killings in a scheme allegedly endorsed by Duterte and his then-right-hand man, Bong Go. Garma’s accusations point to a chilling, transactional system where human lives were reduced to mere bounties, with Buenaventura at the top of the payout. Buenaventura’s refusal to disclose his bank records, even with a supposedly negligible balance, only raises further doubts about hidden assets tied to these grim “rewards.”

Throughout his testimony, Buenaventura displayed the same twisted loyalty that fueled Duterte’s deadly agenda, casting himself as the sacrificial defender of his former boss. His insistence that he only visited a “firing range” at the infamous quarry where DDS victims were allegedly buried is laughable and a flimsy attempt to downplay his involvement in one of the most notorious elements of Duterte’s rule. His praise of Duterte as a “kind man” reveals his apparent willingness to lie, twist facts, and downplay years of bloodshed to protect a man accused of orchestrating death squads.

Buenaventura’s stubborn refusal to cooperate fully — his dodges, half-truths, and fierce denials — strongly suggest he is guarding not just his secrets, but Duterte’s as well. His statements before the Quad Committee reveal a man who would rather mislead the public and shield a legacy of violence than risk exposing the full, grim truth about Duterte’s inner circle and their hand in the horrors that plagued Davao City

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