Members of the House of Representatives on Sunday said Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s claim that the quadruple committee inquiry is a move to probe into links between the Duterte administration’s war on drugs and illegal activities connected to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) was “unnecessary”.
Dela Rosa earlier alleged that some House members are conspiring to implicate him and former President Rodrigo Duterte in the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) currently under international scrutiny.
In a statement, House Deputy Speaker Rep. David Suarez called Dela Rosa’s claim “unnecessary, unparliamentary and unbecoming of a public servant.”
“The House leadership has always acted with the utmost integrity, and it is highly irresponsible for anyone to suggest that they are behind a witch hunt against Senator Dela Rosa or former President Duterte,” Suarez said.
“This investigation is about uncovering the truth behind the syndicates involved in illegal drugs and POGOs. It is not, and never has been, about politics,” he added.
Earlier this week, the House of Representatives formed an unprecedented committee composed of four congressional panels to probe the possible link of POGOs to the illegal drug trade, extrajudicial killings involving drugs, and other crimes.
The quadruple committee is composed of the Committee on Dangerous Drugs, Committee on Human Rights, Committee on Public Order and Safety, and Committee on Public Accounts.
These committees are chaired by Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante, Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez, and Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Stephen Paduano, respectively.
The joint committee will be chaired by Barbers.
Deputy Majority Leader Rep. Jude Acidre said Dela Rosa’s remarks were “disappointing.”
“Instead of cooperating with the investigation to shed light on the issues, he has chosen to launch personal attacks against the House leadership, which has done nothing but ensure that the House exercises its oversight functions effectively,” Acidre said.
Abante earlier said the quadruple committee plans to invite Dela Rosa, who was the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief during the Duterte administration, to the inquiry.
In response, Dela Rosa said he will not attend the joint inquiry as he will uphold the tradition of inter-parliamentary courtesy between the Senate and the House.
An inter-parliamentary courtesy is a tradition of both chambers of Congress where both houses do not intrude into each other’s affairs.
In a Super Radyo DzBB interview on Sunday, Barbers said Dela Rosa also invited Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel into its inquiry into the alleged continuous radicalization and recruitment of students in educational institutions to the New People’s Army.
“We will extend courtesy sa dating pangulo. Karapatan niyang tumanggi, gayundin kay dating PNP chief [Sen. Dela Rosa]. May karapatan silang tumanggi. Walang pilitan itong aming imbitasyon,” Barbers said.
(We will extend courtesy to the former president and the ex-PNP chief. They have the right to refuse. Our invitation is not forcing anyone.)
Barbers also clarified that both Duterte and Dela Rosa were invited to serve as resource persons and not to be prosecuted.
“Wala kaming inuusig. Ang amin dito, mabigyan kami ng impormasyon, ng kanilang expertise, ng kanilang nalalaman, ng kanilang pwedeng maitulong sa pagbuo ng bagong batas na bubuin kung sa ganon maparusahan ang mga accountable kaya namamayagpag ang mga criminal organization dito,” Barbers said.
(We are not prosecuting anyone. What we’re trying to do here is to obtain information and consult with their expertise, their knowledge, and whatever they know to help us in crafting a new law so that those accountable for proliferating criminal organizations in the country will be punished.)
The first hearing on the “quadruple committee probe” is set for August 15. —RF, GMA Integrated News
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