House to invite ex-president Duterte anew to face probe on drug war killings

The four House joint committees plan to invite former president Rodrigo Duterte once again to its hearing on the alleged extrajudicial killings during his administration's war on illegal drugs.

This was after former Iloilo City Mayor Jed Mabilog said his name was included in the narcolist because he did not support Duterte in the 2016 elections.

Mabilog also alleged that then-PNP chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa summoned him to Camp Crame, an action that could place his life in danger.

LIVE sa DZBB: Cong. Benny Abante, co-chairman, House Quad-Committee

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“We are trying to invite the former president to appear before the committee para sagutin niya ang mga bagay na ito (to hear his response on these allegations),” Manila lawmaker Benny Abante, co-chairman of the House Quad Committee, said during an interview over Super Radyo dzBB on Sunday.

“Sapagkat pinagbintangan siya ng ilan sa mga witness namin (Since he was accused by some of our witnesses), I think he is the only one that can actually clear his name,” he added.

Abante reiterated the House would give courtesy to the former president and would not cite him in contempt nor issue a show cause order should he refuse to attend the House hearing.

Duterte and Dela Rosa were previously invited to attend the House drug war probe but both declined to present themselves.

Abante said the House joint committee or Quadcom believes Mabilog was not involved in illegal drugs and that the person who framed the former mayor should be held accountable.

The lawmaker added they are inviting Duterte in an attempts to know who is the mastermind behind the extrajudicial killings during the previous administration's war on drugs.

“We are not considering him as a perpetrator or accused. We would like him (Duterte) to clear to us itong nangyaring war on drugs, kung saan libo-libo ang pinatay, namatay at pinagbintangan,” Abanted said.

(We are not considering him as a perpetrator or accused. We would like him to clear to us what happened during the war on drugs, where thousands were killed, died and accused.)

According to human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, more than 20,000 people were killed in the drug war, based on the 2017 year-end accomplishment report of the Duterte administration.

GMA News Online has reached out to Duterte’s former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea, former spokesperson Harry Roque, and former presidential chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo, but they have yet to respond.—Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News