Quad Committee sets first meeting

The House of Representatives’ Quad Committee is scheduled to set its agenda and ground rules during its organizational meeting today.

It is a four-committee panel authorized to conduct a comprehensive joint investigation into possible connections between illegal Philippine offshore gambling operations, illegal drugs, and extrajudicial killings and supposed human rights violations of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody anti-drug war.

The first meeting is expected to start with welcome remarks from the lead chairman, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, committee on dangerous drugs chairperson, after the roll call of members.

The committee will also tackle its agenda and schedule of hearings, and agree on its ground rules.

Eight privilege speeches and resolutions have been referred to the super committee.

These are about a joint investigation on the pressing issues of extrajudicial killings, illegal drugs and illegal activities; House Resolution No. 1346, an conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on the P3.6 billion worth of shabu seized in the town of Mexico, Pampanga, and P1.3 billion shabu discovered in the city of Mabalacat, Pampanga; House Resolution No. 1351 for a thorough investigation in aid of legislation on the P3.8 billion worth of shabu intercepted at the port of Subic Bay Freeport Zone; House Resolution No. 14 urging the Commission on Human Rights and House committee on human rights to conduct in aid of legislation a thorough investigation and review of the cases of slain victims of the war on drugs and all related atrocities; House Resolution No. 1847 urging the committee on human rights, committee on dangerous drugs, and committee on public order and safety to jointly conduct an investigation, in aid of legislation, on the drug-related extrajudicial killings under the bloody war on drugs of the Duterte administration; privilege speech of ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro on the alleged extrajudicial killings committed; motu proprio investigation on POGOs, and by the committee on public order and safety, and motu proprio inquiry on alleged irregularities in the procurement process and unlawful contracts entered into by the town of Mexico, Pampanga in violation of relevant auditing, procurement, and other Laws conducted by the committee on public accounts. 

Barbers said the first Quad Committee hearing would be held in Pampanga, where an illegal POGO hub in Porac town was shut down on Aug. 16 and P1.3 billion worth of shabu was discovered in Mabalacat City; and a larger P3.6 billion worth of shabu shipment was seized in Mexico town in September 2023.

“And all those people we invited sa POGO hearing, the likes of the mayor of Porac, the mayor of Bamban, yung acting mayor ngayon, the CIDG personnel, the PAGCOR officials, and some PNP generals, including General (Romeo) Caramat, and we will also invite maybe General (Eleazar) Mata ng Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group,” he said.

Asked why the panel chose Pampanga as the venue for its first hearing, he said.  

Because what we have, we still have witnesses who are there near that place who can come forward and can provide information. So we will bring the committee there to that place,” he said.    

“Because of the matter of POGO, human trafficking, torture, human rights violation and then the alleged drugs, there may be people who will share information there,” he added.