Koko leads Senate’s parallel probe; vows impartiality
The House of Representatives’ consolidated panel investigating extra judicial killings (EJKs) perpetrated during the previous administration’s term has finally sent former President Rodrigo Duterte a formal invitation to attend one of its hearings.
In a letter dated October 18, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert “Ace” Barbers, the House Quad Committee’s (Quad Comm) overall chair, sought Duterte’s presence at a hearing scheduled on the morning of Oct. 22.
“In this regard, the Joint Committee respectfully invites you to attend the said inquiry to provide valuable insights and shed light on the issues under discussion particularly on extra juridical killings,” Barbers wrote on behalf of the merged panels.
Quad Comm members have long sent feelers and implied invitations to the former president, saying he is “welcome to attend” or that he has “a standing invitation,” but this is first time on record that Duterte’s attendance to the proceedings has been formally requested.
Meanwhile, the former president expressed willingness to attend congressional investigations into EJKs even as he vehemently denied ordering policemen to summarily execute suspected drug personalities during his incumbency.
In a recent television interview, Duterte said he “would be happy to appear in both the Upper and Lower houses of Congress.”
He also denied extending financial rewards to law enforcers for killing drug suspects, insisting no policeman would accept such a risky proposition.
As this developed, Senate President Francis Escudero announced that the Blue Ribbon Committee would handle the Upper Chamber’s upcoming parallel probe into the thousands of deaths linked to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
The committee was selected to handle the matter as it has motu proprio [on one’s own initiative] jurisdiction while the chamber is on vacation, Escudero said over dZBB Sunday morning
Senators Ronald dela Rosa and Bong Go, who earlier proposed to lead the Senate’s investigation into the killings, have reportedly agreed on Escudero’s suggestion that the Blue Ribbon panel take the lead.
The Senate President earlier pointed out the two Duterte-allied senators have to take a back seat on the probe to avoid bias and conflict of interest issues.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III has been tasked to lead the hearings.
Pimentel, the Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee chairman, said he will be impartial and not mix politics into the investigation.
“I’m really objective and I’m fair, and then I will follow the evidence. I will not mix politics with this, so we will just follow evidence,” he told GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” in a mixture of English and Filipino.
Escudero said the hearings must commence immediately, before session resumes on November 4, upon which Senators must prioritize discussing the 2025 National Expenditure Program.
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