The House quad committee has a standing invitation for former President Rodrigo Duterte to attend its hearings into alleged extrajudicial killings in his administration’s war on drugs, and illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, lead co-chairperson of the quad comm, also said he welcomes Duterte’s “willingness” to testify in the joint hearings.
Duterte said last Sunday that he is open to attending the hearings if invited, adding that he hopes lawmakers will ask him “educated questions.”
“We are glad that the former president said that… We have an existing or standing invitation to President Duterte. He was invited through a motion of Manila 6th District Rep. Benny Abante and Deputy Speaker Dong Gonzales.”
He said that if Duterte attends the hearings, "we will gladly accommodate and be honored by his presence." Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr of Manila, a Quad Comm co-chair, said Duterte’s pronouncement of his willingness to face the Quad Comm is a "welcome development", but the mega panel has yet to include him in the list of the resource persons.
The House Committee on Human Rights led by Abante earlier sent an invitation to the former president to shed light on its inquiry on extrajudicial killings and the war on drugs of the past administration.
"For us, the positive intention of the former president to attend our hearings, that's a welcome development for us. In my committee, we've already invited him although he failed to attend," he told reporters.
"Because we will invite other witnesses. It would be a waste if we won't be able to give attention to all the witnesses and resource persons that we invited," he said.
But Abante stressed Duterte shall "be accorded the respect of a former president…and cordiality" if and when he attends the House Quad Comm hearing.
He said the invitation to Duterte is for him to discuss alleged extrajudicial killings in the war on drugs.
The panel is set to resume its inquiry on Friday and will focus on alleged EJKs. Barbers said the panel already has resource speakers lined up but Duterte is welcome to attend the succeeding hearings, usually held once a week.
“The list of resource speakers was set maybe a week ago. But there are future hearings we can invite him to.”
Senator Ronald Dela Rosa has declined to attend the inquiry, citing inter-parliamentary courtesy.
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