Hontiveros wants Senate Committee of the Whole to probe Duterte drug war

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros on Thursday proposed to convene the Senate Committee of the Whole amid proposals to investigate the Duterte administration's war on drugs.

This, instead of the investigation which will be led by the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs headed by Duterte's former Philippine National Police chief and now Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa.

Dela Rosa led the implementation of the war on drugs during the early years of the Duterte administration.

"Ipapanukala ko po sa Senate leadership na magkaroon ng Senate Committee of the Whole kung saan buong Senado ang mag-iimbestiga sa war on drugs ng nakaraang administrasyon," Hontiveros said in a radio interview.

(I will propose to the Senate leadership that a Senate Committee of the Whole be convened, wherein the entire Senate will investigate the war on drugs of the previous administration.)

"Dahil sa pamamagitan niyang Senate Committee of the Whole, umaasa ako na mas panatag at mas maieengganyo rin na sumali at tumestigo ang victim survivors ng war on drugs. Dapat marinig natin sila para malaman natin ang buong katotohanan," she added.

(Through the Senate Committee of the Whole, I expect that the war on drugs' victim survivors will feel more at ease and encouraged to participate and testify. We need to hear them out to know the whole truth.)

A Senate Committee of the Whole is presided over by the Senate president.

Hontiveros said it is also up to the Senate president if they will invite former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Asked about the possible Dela Rosa-led investigation, Hontiveros did not give a direct comment but noted that each senator chairs their own committees.

"Kaming lahat ng senador ay may chine-chair na kani-kaniyang komite. Pero ang kagandahan din po ng Senate Committee of the Whole ay lahat po ng buong Senado ang may pantay-pantay na karapatan na mag-imbestiga sa paksang iyon," she said.

(All senators have our respective committee chairmanships. But the good thing about the Senate Committee of the Whole is that the entire Senate has equal rights to investigate that matter.)

Motu propio investigation

On Thursday, Dela Rosa said that he will launch a motu proprio investigation into the war on drugs with former President Rodrigo Duterte as one of their resource persons.

This, after Senator Bong Go mentioned that he is willing to file a resolution to launch a probe into the matter parallel to the investigation by the House quad committee.

Go, a former aide and a loyal ally of Duterte, raised this amid what he called "baseless accusations" raised against him, the former president, and Dela Rosa in the ongoing House Quadcomm investigation into the matter.

The senator said he would file a resolution calling for such an investigation "if necessary."

Last week, former police officer Royina Garma testified at the QuadComm hearing that Duterte wanted to implement a "Davao model" of the war on drugs on a national scale. Duterte is a former Davao City mayor.

Garma said this system involves rewards, including prize money that ranged from P20,000 to P1 million, for drug suspects killed.

Go denied the existence of such system and refuted claims that he was involved in handling the money for the supposed rewards. He described Garma's claims as "unsubstantiated."

Dela Rosa also said he knows nothing about the supposed "reward system" in the killing of drug suspects during the previous administration.

The PNP earlier said it would reopen the investigation into several cold cases of local officials killed at the height of the Duterte administration's violent campaign against narcotics.

Malacañang on Wednesday said it supports the possible reopening of investigation into the high-profile killings related to the drug war.

Government records show that there were at least 6,200 drug suspects killed in police operations from June 2016 to November 2021, but several human rights groups have refuted this and say that the number may have reached as much as 30,000 due to unreported related killings. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News