Camp of Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte Confirms Attendance To House Hearing
RODRIGO DUTERTE – The camp of the former President confirmed his attendance to the hearing of the House Quad Committee of his administration’s drug war.
The House of Representatives was ahead of the Senate in launching a probe over the war on drugs of the Duterte administration. However, former Pres. Duterte has repeatedly snubbed the invitation of the House Quad Committee while he attended the first hearing set by the Senate.
It was Senator Bato dela Rosa who confirmed the attendance of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte into the Senate hearing of his admin’s war on drugs. Prior to it, it was Dela Rosa who expressed a desire to launch a probe regarding the previous admin’s most popular campaign.
However, citing that he is one of the accused in the issues surrounding the Duterte drug war as he was the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) then, the Senator’s pronouncement was met by criticisms and mockery. At the hearing, he stressed that there is no Senator Bato without the former President and he thanked Duterte for his anti-drugs campaign.
At the Senate hearing, Duterte said that his administration’s drug war was to protect the Filipino people and the country. He stressed that he only did what was allegedly need to be done. He made several revelations and admissions at the inquiry led by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel led the Senate hearing. Prior to it, considering his repeated absences at the House hearing, Pimentel stressed that the hearing will push through with or without the former President. According to him, they have invited several resource persons.
Previously, a House quad member asked if former Pres. Duterte is afraid to attend the House hearing that is probably why he does not shows up. In the previous hearings, several individuals have made claims against the drug war of the Duterte administration.
The House Quad Comm is set to have a hearing today which they postponed to November 21. However, recently, the panel decided to push through with the hearing following the notice from the camp of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte that he will attend the hearing.
“(Former) PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) and I will go to Batasang Pambansa tomorrow at 10:00am and confront the Quad Committee members why after demanding his presence and accepting their invitation and coming here last night, they will just cancel it without prior notice,” former presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, the House Quad Comm leaders explained that former Pres. Duterte and his lawyer, Martin Delgra III, were notified of the changes in the schedule of the hearing on Monday night. Quad comm lead co-chairperson Rep. Robert Ace Barbers also said that they had no formal communication from the camp of the former President as of noon of Tuesday.
“Nagba-bluff ka ba? Hindi ka namin uurungan,” ACT Teachers Party-list Representative France Castro said referring to Duterte.
Former Pres. Duterte previously reacted to the remarks of the House Quad Comm member asserting that they don’t scare him a bit. His camp said that the former President is not confident on the independence and integrity of the mega panel.