House leaders on Sunday rejected Vice President Sara Duterte’s assertion that the hearings being conducted by the special House quad committee are politically motivated.
“The truth of the matter is the probe started as early as early 2023, where the drug haul in Mexico, Pampanga was worth P3.6 billion. How can it be political? The VP was still in the Department of Education then,” Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales II said.
“It just so happened that the panel stumbled upon the intertwined relationships of alleged drug lords and those involved in the illegal Philippine offshore gaming operations. And a whistleblower was willing to come out and spill the beans,” he added.
Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. David Suarez said it was “nothing personal.”
“This is just work, nothing personal. Part of our mandate as legislators is to ferret out the truth. Should we shirk from our sworn duty only because the husband and brother of the VP are allegedly involved in the smuggling of illegal drugs?” he said.
“ I don’t think we deserve the people’s vote and trust if we stop the investigation every time the name of a big personality comes up. The truth should always prevail no matter what. The people deserve no less,” he said.
He said the people deserve justice.
“The most important thing here is that the hearings are conducted in a very fair manner. No witch hunts. No prejudgments. No badgering of witnesses. And documents should match or bolster oral testimonies. And I think we did all that,” Gonzales stressed.
“I think it would be better if the VP just faces the issues head on. Why can’t they just face Congress? We have already sent our invites. We will be very fair and they are also entitled to that – presumption of innocence until proven guilty,” he said.
“They don’t have to hide. They don’t have to make excuses by saying these are all distractions. Face Congress if you have nothing to hide. They can settle the issues once and for all if they make declarations under oath in Congress,” Suarez said.
As this developed, members of the House quad-committee wan to dig deeper on the involvement of Davao City First District Councilor Nilo “Small” Abellara Jr. in the illegal drug importation.
In a statement, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel said he believes the testimony of Jimmy Guban, who claimed that Abellara is a business partner of Michael Yang, a former presidential adviser on economic affairs of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte.
“I know councilor Small Abellera is very close to the personalities mentioned. It is important to invite him to the next hearing,” Pimentel said.
In his affidavit, Guban named Abellera as the conduit for Duterte, Carpio and Yang.
The quad committee is investigating alleged links between Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), the illegal drug trade and extrajudicial killings (EJKs) tied to the Duterte administration’s “war on drugs.”
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chairman of the quad committee, said they will summon iall the personalities mentioned by Guban to the hearing.
Barbers said that in the next hearing, they are expecting more revelations that will complete the puzzle and will substantiate the story of Guban. With Jun David
