AN administration lawmaker yesterday said former President Rodrigo Duterte’s lawyers might advise him to just play it safe and skip the next hearing of the House quad committee into the extrajudicial killings and the proliferation of illegal drugs during his administration.
La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V said Duterte’s lawyers know very well that “testifying under oath could potentially expose not only his own legal vulnerabilities but also those of his close allies, Senators Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa and Bong Go.”
“I believe his legal team might pursue a ‘play it safe’ strategy of ‘less talk, fewer mistakes,’ and they can best achieve this by advising Duterte not to attend the quad comm hearing. They’ll only dig themselves deeper if the former president speaks,” he said.
The former president has yet to confirm his attendance in the next hearing, according to Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, overall quad comm chair.
Both Dela Rosa and Go played significant roles in the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign, which claimed thousands of lives, including those of innocent civilians.
Dela Rosa was the chief implementer of the drug war when he was PNP chief during the early years of the Duterte administration, while Go has been linked to the rewards system for cops who killed drug suspects.
Former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Royina Garma, a former police lieutenant colonel, testified about the reward system, claiming that cash incentives were provided to personnel who eliminated suspected drug offenders.
But Lanao Del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong reminded the former president to keep his promise to attend the joint panel’s hearing after All Saints’ Day since he has already attended the hearing of the Senate blue ribbon sub-committee.
“Elected leaders should have the courage to practice the virtue of having a word of honor,” said Adiong. “Filipinos know the former president as someone with palabra de honor (word of honor). Throughout his political career, especially during his decades as mayor of Davao City, he built a reputation as a man of his word. This integrity is largely why people repeatedly placed their trust in him.”
Adiong emphasized the importance of Duterte’s presence at the next hearing, since “it would provide House leaders and members the opportunity to gain definitive answers that only the former president can provide.”
“It would demonstrate that he’s not afraid of accountability, just as he showed in the Senate probe, where he took responsibility and advocated for the victims of extrajudicial killings during his administration, shielding his police officers from potential criminal or administrative charges,” he said.
While he was able to attend the Senate hearing last Monday, Duterte earlier begged off from attending the quad committee’s last hearing on October 22 with his lawyer, Martin Delgra III, saying his client had just returned to Davao City from Manila last October 17 and was “currently not feeling well and is in need of much rest.
In a letter to the panel, Delgra however assured the committee that Duterte is willing will “to appear before the House on some other available date, preferably after Nov. 1.” he said.
Zambales Rep. Jefferson Khonghun, for his part, said: “Nobody, and I mean nobody, can ever be above the law – literally and figuratively. We are a nation of laws and not of men. This is too basic in all law schools.”
“And not just that, this is taught early in school that even non-political science (pre-law) students know it. This very popular phrase is self-explanatory. This is also the essence and bedrock of our democratic society that we always hold dear,” he said.
Khonghun, one of the leaders of the “Young Guns” bloc, said Duterte should “go beyond rhetorics” and “tell us the whole truth about EJKs.”
“Don’t be selective in your testimony. The Filipinos deserve nothing less. Prove to us your real worth by showing you are the country’s poster boy in terms of transparency, that you’re not afraid of anything,” Khonghun said. “Truth, no matter how hard, should prevail above everything else, even more than power itself,” he said.
During the Senate inquiry, Duterte made a turnaround after initially admitting that as Davao City mayor, he created a seven-man hit squad known as the Davao Death Squad (DDS) led by former PNP chiefs, including Dela Rosa.
While claiming that he did not directly order summary killings, Duterte stated that he instructed officers to provoke suspects to fight back, making it easier to justify their deaths.
Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante has said such admissions in the Senate only proves that Duterte is guilty of “crimes against humanity,” the complaint he is facing before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Meanwhile, Dela Rosa said he would oppose moves, if any, for the Senate to give the International Criminal Court (ICC) a certified copy of the transcript of the hearing of the Senate blue ribbon sub-committee hearing.
Dela Rosa said doing so would be “tantamount” to recognizing the international court’s jurisdiction over the Philippines.
Dela Rosa said he will question the Senate leadership should it decide to give the ICC a certified copy of the transcript which is posted on the Senate website.
“Depende yan sa liderato ng Senado kung gusto niya i-submit doon. But then, kung mag-submit siya, I will try to question him. Why are you submitting to ICC when in fact we do not recognize the jurisdiction of ICC? … Kung mag-submit tayo doon, that is tantamount to recognizing their jurisdiction over us. So, I would ask him. Why are you going to submit? (It depends on the Senate leadership is it wants to submit [a certified copy of the transcript to the ICC]. But then, if that happens, I will try to question him [Senate President Francis Escudero]: Why are you submitting to ICC when in fact we do not recognize the jurisdiction of ICC? If we submit it, that is tantamount to recognizing their jurisdiction over us. So, I would ask him. Why are you going to submit?),” he said in an interview with the Senate media.
Dela Rosa said the Senate should share the position of the Executive that it will not recognize the ICC jurisdiction over the country since the previous administration has withdrawn from the Rome Statute.
President Marcos Jr. has said that the government will not consider re-gaining membership to the Rome Statue. The Rome Statute is the treaty which established the ICC.
Dela Rosa said his opposition to the submission of the certified copy of the transcript to the ICC has nothing to do with him being a co-accused of Duterte in the crimes against humanity cases due to the past administration’s bloody war on drugs which were marred with extrajudicial killings.
He said the legislative branch should follow the stand of the executive, it being the chief architect of the country’s foreign policies.
“Kung yan ang stand ng executive branch of government eh di sana yung legislative branch will also follow the same line. That’s my only point. Hindi porque ako’y isa sa akusado sa ICC ay ganoon ang aking stand (If that is the stand of the executive branch of government, I hope that the legislative branch will also follow the same line. That’s my only point and not because I am one of the accused in the ICC),” he said.
Escudero has earlier said that any interested party can ask the Senate leadership a certified copy of the transcript as long as the purpose is legitimate. He also said that the transcript can be accessed in the Senate website. – With Raymond Africa
