SENATE Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III has agreed to lead a subcommittee of the Senate blue ribbon committee to investigate the alleged bloody war on drugs of the Duterte administration.
“Okey. I will accept my new assignment,” Pimentel said in a text message on Sunday.
Senate President Francis Escudero said that senators have agreed to let the blue ribbon panel conduct the probe on the anti-drug campaign of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
The senator said that Pimentel, chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice, would most likely lead the blue ribbon subcommittee.
Escudero said Sen. Pia Cayetano, chairman of the blue ribbon committee, would not be able to lead the investigation because she will be busy campaigning for her reelection bid in 2025.
He wanted the public hearings held while Congress is still on recess since the Senate will be busy with deliberations on the 2025 national budget when the regular session resumes on November 4.
Escudero said Sens. Ronald Dela Rosa and Christopher Go, Duterte’s allies, have agreed to this setup.
Dela Rosa and Go asked the Senate to conduct the probe. They denied any wrongdoing during Duterte’s war on drugs.
Some human rights groups and families of killed drug suspects claimed that Duterte’s war on drugs was tainted with extrajudicial killings (EJKs).
Retired police colonel Royina Garma earlier claimed that Dela Rosa and Go had a role in Duterte’s alleged reward system to implement his war on drugs.
Escudero said Dela Rosa and Go have the right to air their side during the Senate probe.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives quad committee invited Duterte to attend its hearing on Tuesday, October 22.
“The Joint Committee respectfully invites you to attend the said inquiry to provide valuable insights and shed light on the issues under discussion,” panel chairman and Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers told Duterte in a letter.
The House quad committee comprises the Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights, and Public Accounts.
WITH REINA TOLENTINO
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