No joint Senate probe with House quad comm

Duterte defers facing quad

MANILA, Philippines — As senators prepare their own investigation on extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration, they have made it clear they are against joint hearings with the quad committee of the House of Representatives.

This was according to Senate President Francis Escudero and Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III in reaction to the proposal of quad comm overall chairman and Surigao del Norte Rep. Ace Barbers for joint hearings on the drug war and extrajudicial killings.

“While tempting… unfortunately, we have no provision in our rules providing for such a ‘joint investigation,’” Escudero said yesterday in a Viber message to The STAR.

Pimentel said a joint Senate and House investigation could be difficult to implement. Escudero has tapped the Blue Ribbon committee chaired by Pimentel to spearhead a parallel probe on EJKs and the drug war.

“Good idea but difficult to implement. And then their investigation has reached a different stage. They are advanced,” Pimentel also said on Viber, referring to the quad comm investigation.

Resource persons in the quad comm investigation, including retired police colonel and former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Royina Garma, had accused Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Bong Go of direct involvement in the drug war and EJKs. The two senators have vehemently denied Garma’s allegations.

Earlier yesterday, former president Rodrigo Duterte’s former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea said Duterte had to beg off from today’s quad comm hearing, as he had received his invitation on very short notice.

Pimentel said they hope to begin hearings this week, with a “more realistic list” of resource persons, including Duterte. But he stressed the former president won’t be in the first batch of resource speakers to be invited. Duterte received an invitation from the quad comm last Sunday.

“We will make it a realistic list, don’t have too many people invited, it’s also impossible to get them to speak or ask them questions within a few hours of the hearing. So we will be realistic with our approach,” Pimentel told Senate reporters at a press conference yesterday.

He stressed the former president would be invited “at the proper time.”

“We can’t start all of a sudden... So let’s put a little order in our hearings system,” Pimentel said.

Hearing this week

He said hearings may begin this week or next week, while Congress is on break. Congress will resume session on Nov. 4 for seven weeks or 21 days, which will be devoted to the deliberation on the proposed P6.352- trillion national budget for 2025.

“So we do not really have all the time in the world,” Pimentel added.

He also said only the Blue Ribbon committee has the authority to investigate the matter motu proprio.

Pimentel said the facts to be detailed at the Senate hearing should be orderly. “So, at the start of the Duterte administration, so June 30, 2016, or even earlier until the end of the term on June 30, 2022.”

“We will stay focused. We will deal only with issues relating to the drug war,” Pimentel said.

He also said the proposal of Dela Rosa to lead the investigation is “practically rejected.”

But Pimentel stressed that Dela Rosa and Go are welcome to participate in the hearings.

“I encourage them to participate,” said the minority leader. “They are not resource persons. They are members of the committee. They will be given time to ask questions.”

He said he would encourage witnesses to speak freely and not to be intimidated by anyone.

Duterte skipping quad hearing today

Medialdea told The STAR that Duterte just received an invitation on Sunday, delivered by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police.

“How do you like for the former president to travel again to Manila even if he just arrived here in Davao City? It is no longer good for his health,” Medialdea said.

“Make it some other time, he will attend the hearing,” he added.

Duterte’s former presidential legal adviser Salvador Panelo said an invitation should be given at least two weeks in advance.

Medialdea said that aside from his frail health, Duterte had prior engagements in Davao City.

“The quad comm says it has sufficient evidence to file a case against him. What are they waiting for if that is so?” Medialdea told The STAR.

Duterte lawyer Martin Delgra sent a letter to Barbers explaining the former president’s absence at today’s hearing. “Unfortunately, despite his keen intention to attend, my client respectfully manifests that he cannot attend the public hearing on Oct. 22. Aside from the short notice given him, my client just arrived in Davao City from Metro Manila last Oct. 17,” he said.

The former president said earlier said he would attend the quad comm hearings if invited as he had to clarify some matters and answer questions, including on allegations that he instituted a reward system in the PNP for the killing of drug suspects.

The quad comm asked the CIDG led by police Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III to deliver the invitation.

The PNP has promised to cooperate with the Senate Blue Ribbon committee in its parallel inquiry into Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.

Fajardo said it is the Senate’s prerogative and authority to schedule a separate probe on the reported EJKs under the Duterte administration.

“We cannot question that but if the PNP will be invited in any of these hearings, as always the PNP will cooperate,” she said.

Bato welcomes Blue Ribbon probe

In Zamboanga City, Senator Dela Rosa welcomed the motu proprio probe by Senate Blue Ribbon committee on EJKs during the Duterte administration.

He said he has no problem with having the committee, chaired by Pimentel, investigate the drug war killings.

Dela Rosa had offered to lead such investigation as chairman of the committee on public order and drugs. As PNP chief during the Duterte administration, Dela Rosa was one of those being implicated in EJKs. He said he does not care if critics would see the Senate investigation as “self-serving.”

“Call it self serving, but you have to see how the investigation is going to progress. What I am after is not purely personal, though I have my motive of clearing myself here being tagged as among the suspects,” Dela Rosa said.

“All I know all those being said in the quad comm were lies, that is why I want to confront those who were saying lies. The public deserves to know the truth, that is why I am happy this investigation will be handled by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee because I know the truth will be exposed,” he said. “What I am after here is the truth and justice.”

He called the quad comm investigation “a demolition job.”

“Forgive me, what I see the thing that is being done by the quad comm is investigation in aid of persecution, it is not in aid of legislation,” Dela Rosa said. — Edith Regalado, Bella Cariaso, Roel Pareño, Emmanuel Tupas, Janvic Mateo, Delon Porcalla