Barbers: QuadComm won't allow Duterte's profanities

House QuadComm lead chairperson Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte on Wednesday said he won’t allow former President Rodrigo Duterte to utter profanities during the panel’s probe on the drug war deaths.

“We will stick with the QuadComm rules at ipapahayag namin yan. Ang ground rules dito, kasama diyan, [ay] ‘yung hindi pagmumura,” Barbers told reporters, referring to Duterte’s profanity-filled testimony when he faced the Senate probe on drug war.

“Hindi po tatanggapin ang committee na ito ang mga expression na hindi po kaaya-aya sa mga nanonood o sa ating mga kababayan,” Barbers added.

Duterte showed up in person before the 11th House QuadComm probe on Wednesday, marking the first time he showed up before the House panel.

LIVE BLOG: House Probe on EJKs (Nov. 13, 2024)

Duterte has earlier faced the Senate probe and said he has been killing for a long time, on top of having a death squad.

The former Chief Executive also said he has told police officials to encourage suspects to resist arrest so the police can kill them with justification. 

But former Labor chief Silvestre Bello III, in a separate interview, said it was no admission of killing but was a case of Duterte being his usual self of using hyperbole.

“Hopefully, everything will be clarified. Very clear naman na wala siyang nagawang papatay. Alam mo, I know the President. And I was in Davao for 37 years, 1992 to 1997. And I know for a fact na wala siyang pinatay,” Bello, who accompanied Duterte during QuadComm’s Wednesday probe, told reporters.

(It is clear that he did not commit killings. I know for a fact that he never killed anybody.)

“Kasi noon, basta halimbawa, may drug lord, o yung mga durugista, may namatay. Sasabihin niya, ako ang pumatay, para matakot iyong mga tao,” Bello added.

(If there’s a drug lord who was suddenly reported killed, he’ll say he’s the one who killed that drug suspect just to scare them off.)

'Buhay pa kayo'

House human rights panel chairperson Benny Abante of Manila echoed Barbers’ warning against profanities.

“Ang kahilingan lang po namin dito ay sana po naman respetuhin po ninyo ang QuadComm hearing na ito sa pamamagitan ng hindi paggamit ng mga vulgar words. Sapagkat gusto kong sabihin sa inyo, bilang warning, na kapag kayo po ay nagmura sa QuadComm hearing na ito, I will make a point of order [to call] on you,” Abante said. 

“Naging Pangulo kayo ng Pilipinas. [What we have for you is] respect, not deference. We are not here to give you obedience. We are not here to submit to you. We are here as equal members of this house, Mr. President. And I hope and pray that you would give us equal respect as we give you equal respect as we give you equal respect today,” Abante added.

Abante even reminded Duterte that he should be grateful for his long life, given that he once called God stupid.

“Sa isang pagkakataon, tinawag nyo ang Diyos na stupid, Mr. President. Tinanggap po namin yan sapagkat kayo ay Pangulo, at napapasalamat ako [na] hanggang ngayon po, buhay pa kayo. Kahit na po tinawag nyo ang Diyos na isang istupido, Diyos. Hindi ko alam kung katanggap-tanggap ‘yan,” Abante said.

—VAL, GMA Integrated News