MANILA, Philippines — The House Quad Committee kicked off its 12th hearing with fuming lawmakers looking for former Mandaluyong City Police chief Police Colonel Hector Grijaldo — the cop who claimed that several panel members coerced him to confirm the drug war testimony.
In a previous Senate hearing, Grijaldo claimed that Rep. Dan Fernandez (Lone District, Sta. Rosa, Laguna) and Rep. Bienvenido Abante (6th District, Manila) pressured him to sign a testimony saying that he supported the claim of retired colonel Royina Garma that there was a drug war reward system.
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Grijaldo has since skipped all the Congressional hearings after that.
Abante and Fernandez were visibly angered by his disappearance.
“This is already the third time that he failed to respond to our invitation, citing the same medical reason. I think he is trying to hide. You can hide but you cannot run from this committee,” Abante said.
Grijado has used the same medical excuse for all his absences from the Quad panel. The former city police chief said he has “rotator cuff syndrome.”
According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, a rotator cuff injury is characterized by an ache in the shoulder that may worsen at night. The website said that this problem can often be treated with physical therapy exercises.
Fernandez found the excuse unacceptable.
“He is trying to run away from his responsibility. He wants to evade this inquiry. He does not want to stand by what he said in the Senate,” Fernandez said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano (Abang Lingkod Party-list) motioned for the House physician to check on Grijaldo’s condition.
Quad Comm lead chairman Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (Surigao del Norte, 2nd District) approved the motion.
Rep. Keith Flores (Bukidnon, 2nd District) also said that the Philippine National Police should still check if Grijaldo is still fit to serve in the police force.
Garma’s bombshell revelation is the main testimony directly tying former president Rodrigo Duterte to the mass execution of a reward system that encourages police officers to kill drug suspects.
Duterte, while known to go back and forth on his statements, has said under oath that such a reward system did exist. During a House quad panel, the former president said he rewarded excess funds for drug operations that resulted in killing.