MANILAcasinolandia, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte might attend a Senate probe into his administration’s war on drugs, but only with the assurance of his former police chief-turned-senator, Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, according to Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III on Tuesday, October 22.
Pimentel, who is the chair of the Senate Committee on Justice, is set to lead the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee’s probe into the war on drugs. The House of Representatives is conducting its own investigation into the drug war, which has yielded bombshell revelations about Duterte’s involvement.
“Well, sinabi ni Senator Bato sa akin willing to attend. Sabi ko sige, kung willing to attend daw lang all the invitations, i-invite ko na,” Pimentel said.
(Well, Senator Bato said that he is willing to attend. I said, alright, if he is willing to attend all invitations, I will invite him.)
Pimentel initially said he would prefer that Duterte go to the hearing after the first one, as the Senate still needs to establish its own set of findings separate from the House probe.
Should Duterte want to speak at the first hearing, Pimentel said the issues must be addressed first. The subcommittee is a "blank slate," Pimentel said. They cannot produce the same records that the House has.
Pimentel said he expected Duterte to react and respond to whatever questions were asked of him.
The House Quad Committee has established links between former President Duterte and the drug war based on the confession of former police colonel Royina Garma, who said that it was Duterte who ordered the execution of a death squad-style approach to combat illegal drugs.
Pimentel said it was important to hear the issues on the war on drugs first. The only reason that a hearing was taking place was because there were issues.
“This is about malfeasance, misfeasance or nonfeasance. That means misbehavior, and bad behavior,” Pimentel said, describing what the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee needs to sniff out in the probe.
If there are citizens who feel like they are victims of injustice and abuse during the drug war, they could go to the subcommittee for their complaints.
Apart from Duterte, families of drug war victims are expected to attend.
Garma, former National Police Commission Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa and former senator Leila de Lima will also be invited to the proceedings.
Pimentel said the Senate’s probe into the war on drugs is not strictly limited to the events that occurred during Duterte’s term, but if he was being realistic about it, that is where it began. The current state of the drug war may also be investigated.
Dela Rosacasinolandia and Sen. Christopher "Bong" Go, both allies of Duterte and facing their own set of allegations tying them to the drug war, are expected to act as normal senators during the hearing, having the right to ask questions and defend themselves.
However, both Go and Dela Rosa may also be on the receiving end of questions, Pimentel said.
Dela Rosa, despite being one of the alleged architects of the drug war, is eager for a Senate probe into the drug war. He said he wanted people to know the truth.
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