Bato's criticism of House drug war probe 'like an admission of guilt' — lawmaker
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald dela Rosa's objection to the House of Representatives' continued probe into the extrajudicial killings during former President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war suggests a possible "admission of guilt," a lawmaker said on Tuesday.
Rep. Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo (Lanao del Norte, 1st District) also defended the inclusion of the House human rights panel—tasked with investigating abuses during the war on drugs—in the lower house's newly formed quad-committee, saying that human rights issues were sidelined in the previous Congress under Duterte.
The quad-committee fuses together four panels, including dangerous drugs, public order and safety, and public accounts, to investigate crimes linked to Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), drug war deaths, and the illegal drug trade.
On Monday, Dela Rosa — who served as Duterte's first Philippine National Police chief and main implementor of the drug war — said in a press conference that he takes exception with the inclusion of the human rights panel in the combined committee.
"Bato makes me laugh," Dimaporo, who is also a member of the human rights and dangerous drugs committees, said in a mix of English and Filipino.
"When you say 'except,' it's like an admission of guilt. We’ll leave it at that," the lawmaker said in a press conference on Tuesday.
Dimaporo, who also chairs the House muslim affairs committee, recalled that Dela Rosa led the implementation of the PNP's controversial Oplan Double Barrel. "Whether or not there were extrajudicial killings, we’ll let the courts determine that," he added.
The lawmaker also defended the House human rights committee’s continued investigation into the drug war abuses under Duterte, noting that the Commission on Human Rights had previously been underfunded during the previous administration.
Dimaporo said the CHR’s budget was "practically zero" under Duterte, and if it had "even a single peso," it would have conducted the probe back then.
In 2017, the House, dominated by Duterte's allies, voted 119-32 to limit the human rights body's budget to only P1,000. The CHR's statements criticizing Duterte's violent anti-illegal drugs policy had angered the legislators and even prompted then-Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to toy with the idea of giving them no budget at all.
House lawmakers later drew flak for the move and restored the CHR's proposed budget for 2018 to P649.484 million.
Dimaporo said the current Congress is now providing a platform for human rights issues to be reviewed thoroughly, with a focus on whether violations were committed during the previous administration.
Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing (Nueva Ecija, 1st District) added that extrajudicial killings are a central aspect of the House quadcom's investigation as previous probes have yet to uncover police's alleged quota system and incentives for arresting suspects.
"Previously, the focus was on the deaths and the brutality, but we didn’t address the underlying system and policies of the PNP during that period," Suansing said.
Suansing reiterated the panel's invitation for Dela Rosa to attend its hearings. She said that his previous experience as PNP chief will help shed light on the allegations against the PNP.
Rep. Jude Acidre (Tingog Partylist) said Dela Rosa is not being invited in his capacity as a senator and that his presence during the hearings could provide "clarity" and "balance."
In a Kapihan sa Senado forum in June, Dela Rosa admitted that there were human rights violations committed during the Duterte administration's war on drugs. However, the senator said the former president was not complicit in the rights abuses.
The House is currently dominated by allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whose public feuds with the Duterte family have gone all-out since January.
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