Duterte uses profanity at Senate drugs hearing

Former President Rodrigo Duterte used profanity during a Senate hearing on his war on drugs on Monday, drawing criticism from Senator Risa Hontiveros and support from Senate President Francis Escudero.

Lawmakers Dan Fernandez and Bienvenido Abante also urged Duterte to avoid using profanity in formal legislative hearings following the incident.

Fernandez questioned whether anyone had moved to remove Duterte's profanity from the Senate records, while Abante expressed concern over the former president's use of inappropriate language.

Escudero reiterated on Tuesday that Hontiveros was correct to point out the excessive use of profanity in the Senate and stressed that such language does not have a place there.

Despite apologizing earlier in the hearing, Duterte insisted he would not have been elected president without being rude and shameless, but Escudero noted that Duterte's repeated cursing was inconsistent with his claim of merely retelling past conversations.

The hearing, despite Duterte's use of offensive language, was seen as an achievement by Escudero for having the former president discuss alleged extrajudicial killings under oath.