DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 12 November) — The Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights, and Public Accounts of the House of Representatives (Quad Comm) on Tuesday postponed its scheduled inquiry on extra-judicial killings (EJKs) related to the bloody war on drugs of the administration of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte from November 13 to November 21.
This developed as Salvador Panelo, former Chief Presidential Legal Counsel during the Duterte administration, said in a Facebook live Monday night that the former president will attend the House hearing tomorrow, Wednesday, November 13.
In a press conference streamed live over the Facebook of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers, chairperson of the Committee on Dangerous Drugs, said the Quad Comm canceled the scheduled inquiry “even before Duterte’s camp confirmed his attendance through social media on Monday evening.”
Barbers added that the Quad Comm did not receive a notice from Duterte’s counsel, Martin B. Delgra III, confirming his presence in the House inquiry.
He added that they could no longer proceed with the investigation after cancellation notices had been sent to other invited resource speakers as early as Monday afternoon.
Barbers stated that it was too late to recall the cancellation because, according to the lower chamber’s internal rules, invitations must be sent at least three days before the scheduled hearing.
He said the Quad Comm has been contemplating on rescheduling the investigation since last week, as they have yet to finish vetting all the affidavits the resource persons executed about Duterte’s drug war.
“Because of several witnesses who wanted to give their testimonies before the Quad Comm, we decided maybe we should interview them all first kung sino mas credible doon (to determine who are more credible), and it will take a lot of time,” he said.
Barbers said rescheduling the inquiry will give them more time to interview and finalize the list of resource speakers who will be presented in the next inquiry, considering that “there are many individuals who want to give testimonies.”
Contrary to claims of Duterte’s supporters, Barbers stressed that the Quad Comm members are not afraid of Duterte and that they encourage him to participate in the next scheduled investigation.
In a Facebook live Monday evening, Panelo said that the 79-year-old Duterte, who declined to attend the previous two House invitations, is unafraid to face the Quad Comm.
He warned the House members not to bully the former chief executive, telling them to treat him like a “visitor” and accord him respect because “if they provoke this man, hell might break loose.”
“My word of caution to the members of Congress, you invited the former president, you are saying that you are going to give dignity to his office. Do it! Don’t ever commit the mistake of embarrassing the former president, humiliating the former president, assaulting his integrity and reputation, and misleading people about him, and maniwala kayo (believe me), you will be receiving what you are looking for,” he said.
Barbers said that they could not consider the confirmation of social media vloggers and supporters, including Panelo, as the former president’s official communication.
“Of course, we appreciate the fact na pupunta ang ating dating pangulo na magkaroon ng palitan ng idea tungkol dito sa usapin ng EJK at drugs kung saan centerpiece ng kampanya ng dating administration (that the former president is coming so that we can have an exchange of ideas about EJKs and drugs, which were at the center of the campaign of the previous administration),” he said.
For his part, 1-Rider party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez said the former president should attend the new schedule of the House inquiry because the Quad Comm members have many questions regarding the war on drugs, even if Duterte claimed that he had “already answered everything in the investigation” that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s Subcommittee on the Philippine War on Illegal Drugs conducted last October 28.
“We at the committee have a lot of questions. So we hope they do reconsider. When he (Duterte) appeared before the senate, and he made those pronouncements, I think it left more questions than answers,” he said in mixed English and Filipino. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
