House panel to 'inform' Duterte, Bato of drug war probe

The House committee on human rights will inform ex-President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Ronald dela Rosa of the next legislative hearing into the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) under the Duterte administration, Manila Representative Bienvenido Abante said Wednesday. 

However, Abante, panel chairperson,  clarified it would be up to the officials to decide whether to attend. 

“What I can promise… is that we will be informing again Sen. dela Rosa in the next hearing and maybe he would like to attend. Sabihin natin dun na if he would like to come, you are welcome,” Abante told the panel. 

“We’re going to inform the former President of this hearing.Nasa kaniya na ‘yun kung pupunta siya or hindi.  We would like to give full respect to the former President. Although he might not be exempt from this investigation, yet, I think that we should give full respect to the former President for being a public official also,” the legislator said. 

Abante was responding to Kabataan party-list lawmaker Raoul Manuel’s remarks citing the need for Duterte and dela Rosa’s attendance in the congressional hearings. 

“In addition sa ating pagtingin na dapat ‘yung former PNP chief Bato dela Rosa ay maimbitahan, tingin natin timely din na si former President Rodrigo Duterte ay imbitahan din natin bilang siya rin naman ay hindi incumbent official, isang civilian, and kung may mga dapat din siyang sagutin sa other issue,” said Manuel.

The House panel began its inquiry into alleged EJKs under the bloody drug war on Wednesday. During the seven-hour hearing, lawyer Chel Diokno said over 20,000 people were killed in the war on drugs based on the 2017 year-end accomplishment report of the Duterte administration.

The committee also issued a show cause order against Police Major General Romeo Caramat Jr., the former chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and currently the acting area commander of Northern Luzon, for failing to attend the hearing. 

Meanwhile, Abante called on the EJK victims to come out for the House probe. 

More than 6,000 people were killed in former President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-narcotics campaign, but rights groups say that up to 30,000 may have been killed.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is also currently probing Duterte’s drug war.—LDF, GMA Integrated News