Former Pres. Duterte, Ex-Sen. De Lima Invited on Senate Investigation on Drug War
SENATE INVESTIGATION ON WAR ON DRUGS – The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee invited former President Rodrigo Duterte and former Senator Leila de Lima into the hearing.
The investigation on the war on drugs of the Duterte administration is set to begin in the Senate amid a parallel probe conducted by the House Quad Committee in the lower chamber. Several key personalities in the drug war were intended to be invited by the upper chamber.
Previously, Senate President Chiz Escudero announced the the war on drugs investigation will be led by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel will lead the inquiry as Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Pia Cayetano is attending a summit for the Committee on Energy.
Sen. Bato dela Rosa previously expressed a desire to invite former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte into a Senate investigation of the drug war. He expressed his confidence that the former President will attend the probe saying that Duterte is more comfortable in the Senate than in the House.
However, several people reacted to the plan of Dela Rosa. Former Sen. Leila de Lima even stressed that the Senator who was the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the Duterte administration is also an accused in the investigation of the case.
Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, aside from former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee also invited former Sen. Leila de Lima. She is a staunch critic of the drug war of the Duterte administration.
According to Sen. Joel Villanueva, he and Sen. Koko Pimentel have talked not to invite too many resource persons in the Senate investigation to the point that they won’t be able to cater everyone. He confirmed that they have also talked about the participation of two (2) senators who were mentioned in the House probe.
“I heard Sen. Bato saying he is more than willing to even answer questions coming from members of the Senate,” Villanueva said.
Sen. Joel Villanueva stressed that former Pres. Duterte will be treated with respect. According to him, while it is unusual, the appearance of a former president in the Senate hearing is not the first time recalling when the late former president Noynoy Aquino also graced the Senate inquiry before.
Aside from former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte and former Sen. Leila de Lima, based on the report, the Senate investigation also invited the relatives of the alleged victims of the Duterte drug war, and 30 others. The upper chamber guarantees that the probe will not affect the timeline of the inquiry on the 2025 budget.
Amid the accusations, Sen. Bato dela Rosa expressed having no regrets in being part of the Duterte drug war. According to him, it cannot be fought with merely “pa-cute-cute lang”.