Escudero eyes Blue Ribbon, Justice panels to handle probe on Duterte drug war

Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero on Friday said that he is considering the Blue Ribbon Committee to lead the proposed motu proprio investigation into the Duterte administration's war on drugs.

Escudero earlier explained that only the Blue Ribbon panel has the power to conduct a motu proprio investigation.

Although it is not final yet, the Senate president said that the direction of the chamber is for the Blue Ribbon to conduct the motu proprio investigation while Congress is not in session.

If the investigation will be conducted when the Senate resumes session, Escudero said it will be handled by the Justice and Human Rights Committee.

"We are looking into several options and that is one of them," Escudero told GMA News Online in a Viber message.

The decision will be finalized after Escudero's consultation with Senator Bong Go, who filed the resolution to launch an inquiry into the previous administration's drug war, and Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, who earlier said that his committee on public order and dangerous drugs will conduct a motu proprio probe into the matter.

Despite this, Escudero indicated that the proposal of Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros to convene the Committee of the Whole to investigate the drug war is not off the table yet.

The Blue Ribbon Committee is chaired by Senator Pia Cayetano while the Justice and Human Rights Committee is led by Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III.

In a Viber message to reporters, Pimentel said that he "will have to handle" the investigation as a professional in case the resolution will be referred to his committee.

"If referred to Justice [Committee] then I will have to handle it like the professional that I am (on drug war probe)," Pimentel, an ex-ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte, said.

Committee of the Whole

At a virtual press conference with reporters, Hontiveros insisted that the Committee of the Whole should investigate the drug war.

"Of course,  'yung Senate Blue Ribbon Committee ang kumbaga pinaka-komite ng aming mga komite. Pero siyempre wala nang hihigit sa Senate Committee of the Whole...magpapakita ito ng importansya na ibinibigay ng Senado sa napakahalagang isyu na ito, tinututukan na nga ng QuadComm at hindi lang ng isang komite sa House," Hontiveros said.

(Although the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee is the highest of all committees, there is nothing compared to a Senate Committee of the Whole. This will show that the Senate is giving primordial importance to this very important issue. In the House, four committees are investigating this matter.)

Hontiveros hoped that the Senate will have a proper discussion on how it will investigate the matter, taking into the consideration the "optimal process" for the families of the drug war.

"Palagay ko ang Senate Committee of the Whole at hindi iisang komite lamang kung alinman, ay mas magbibigay ng kaluwagan ng loob sa mga biktima, victim survivors ng war on drugs at ng mga EJKs na dumalo at magsalita," she said.

(I think the Senate Committee of the Whole, and not a single committee,  could give a more comfortable atmosphere to the victims and survivors of war on drugs and EJKs to attend the investigation and speak up.)

While she noted that the Senate has been investigating the drug war even during the Duterte administration where they are "under duress," Hontiveros said that "this is not a competition" with the House of Representatives.

"Nauna na kami dati pa panahon ni Duterte at ngayon maraming nabubunyag ang House QuadComm. So, hindi ito competition. Pwedeng tignan na ito ay complementation," Hontiveros said.

(We have already investigated the EJKs even during the administration of Duterte and now, there are more revelations in the House Quadcomm. This is not a competition. We can view this as a complementation.)

"Kapag dininig namin ang EJKs at war on drugs sa Senado, sigurado ko mas lalong mabubunyag yung totoong pangit na mukha ng war on drugs na iyan. At yan din ay aking magiging layunin sa pagtatanong ko," she added.

(When we hear the EJK and the war on drugs in the Senate, I am sure that this will reveal the true and ugly face of the war on drugs and that will be the objective of my questions.)

With the possible invitation of Duterte in the proposed Senate investigation, Hontiveros said she will question the former president to "get more of the perspective of Duterte himself."

"Para sa akin, siya yung epitome ng extrajudicial killings. Siya yung epitome ng war on drugs...at kung imbitahin ni Senate President si Duterte bilang resource persons, kahit hindi ako naglo-look forward, tatanungin ko talaga siya," she said.

(For me, he is the epitome of the extrajudicial killings and war on drugs. If Duterte will be invited as a resource person, even though I am not looking forward to facing him, I will really ask questions to him.)

A parallel Senate investigation into the Duterte administration's drug war was floated by Go after former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager and retired police colonel Royina Garma testified in a House 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.—AOL/RSJ, GMA Integrated News