QuadComm mulls inviting Duterte, Bato to EJK, POGOs probe, says Abante

Former President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa may soon be asked to face the House of Representatives Quad Committee’s hearings into illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators and alleged extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.  

Asked if the mega panel is considering inviting Duterte to its hearings, House QuadComm co-chair and Manila 6th District Representative Benny Abante said, “Yes.”

This, after the hours-long QuadComm hearing, which started Friday morning and ended early Saturday morning, during which former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Royina Garma said Duterte had asked her to look for an officer who could implement, on a national scale, the “Davao model” of the drug war, which rewards the killing of drugs suspects.

“The thing is—ayaw naman namin na tumagal nang ganito. If we’re going to invite him, siguro kaunti lang. Siya lang siguro,” Abante said.

(The thing is—we wouldn’t want it to last this long. If we’re going to invite him, maybe for just a while. And maybe, just him.)  

Abante said the House human rights panel, which he chairs, previously sought Duterte to attend its hearing amid its probe into the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the latter’s presidency.

But, Abante noted, the former president “wasn’t able to come.”

Former presidential chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo said Duterte would attend the QuadComm hearing if the members would ask “educated questions.”

“FPRRD hasn’t received any invitation yet,” Panelo said.

“In his press conference in Davao [he said] he would attend if invited with one condition: The members of the committee should ask educated questions and not irrelevant, stupid and private invasive queries,” he added.

Duterte has been invited to attend the House drug war probe but repeatedly declined to present himself.

But last month Panelo said Duterte would again decline the invitation of the four House joint committees to attend the hearing on the alleged extrajudicial killings during his administration's war on illegal drugs "because it’s a useless exercise. Resource persons are not allowed to explain. The committee members stop them from speaking out.”

Bato may be invited too

Asked if the invitation to the QuadComm hearings will also be extended to Duterte-allied senators Bato dela Rosa and Bong Go, Abante said: “Maybe Senator Bato, yes, because he has to answer a lot of things.”

In the same QuadComm hearing, alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa accused Dela Rosa, former national police chief under the Duterte administration, of pressuring him in 2016 to link former Senator Leila de Lima and businessman Peter Lim to the illegal drug trade. 

Dela Rosa was also previously invited by Abante’s human right committee, but the senator declined, citing inter-parliamentary courtesy.

Abante said Dela Rosa “might just maintain” the same reason.

“Nire-respect naman namin iyon. Although kami naman, kapag ini-invite kami ng Senado, nagpupunta kami,” Abante added.

(We respect that. Although on our part, when the Senate invites us, we come.)]

On Saturday, Dela Rosa said that he knows nothing about the Davao model of the drug war, or the alleged reward system for the killing of drug suspects.

Go denied that there was a reward system.

"Nais kong klaruhin na walang reward system na iniimplementa noon kapalit ang buhay ng sinuman," Go, a key Palace aide during the Duterte administration, said in a statement.

(I want to clarify that no reward system was implemented before in exchange for anyone's life.)

"The former President has stated clearly numerous times that his administration never sanctioned nor tolerated any form of senseless killings," he added.

He also denied claims that he was involved in handling the money for the supposed reward system in the drug war.

"The affidavit and statements of Col. Garma during the recent QuadComm hearing are clear diversionary tactics to muddle the true issue she is facing – her participation in an alleged murder plot," Go said.

"Malicious and unsubstantiated statements should have no place in any credible investigation.''

Meanwhile, Dela Rosa on Friday said that, if given the chance, he would punch Espinosa for lying.

"Sabihan mo siya, 'pag makita ko siya, suntukin ko sa mukha sa kanyang kasinungalingan. 'Pag magkita kami, suntukin ko siya sa mukha. Sobrang sinungaling siya," Dela Rosa said.

(I'll punch him in the face when I see him. He is lying. When I see him, I'll punch his face. He is really lying.)

In a separate statement, Dela Rosa insisted that Espinosa was not a credible witness.

Dela Rosa said, "Why do I need to force him to implicate De Lima when PNP (Philippine National Police) was not a party in the case build up and the filing of drug cases against De Lima? It was entirely done by the DOJ (Department of Justice). Anong pakialam ko kay De Lima (What do I have to do with De Lima)?"

Espinosa said Dela Rosa spoke with him about the matter inside a sport utility vehicle in November 2016 upon his return to the Philippines.

Dela Rosa also denied knowing about the alleged drug activities of Lim and former police official Vicente Loot until he was told about it by Espinosa himself.

"I had no idea about Peter Lim and General Loot's drug business. It was Kerwin Espinosa who volunteered that [information] to me when I asked him where did he get his supply of drugs. He answered me that sometimes he gets it from Peter Lim and sometimes from General Loot. I had no motive implicate them (especially) General Loot who is a PMA-er," he said. —with reports from Ted Cordero and Mariel Celine Serquiña/BAP/KG/VBL/BM, GMA Integrated News