But Senate lukewarm to House proposal for bicameral hearing
A lawmaker on Monday proposed a joint probe of Senate and House of Representatives on the drug war-related extrajudicial killings during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Rody skips today’s Quad hearing but will attend after Nov. 1
As this developed, Duterte will not attend today’s hearing of Quad Committee, his legal counsel Martin Delgra III said, noting the former President will attend future hearings after November 1.
“Unfortunately, despite his keen intention to attend, my client (Duterte) respectfully manifests that he cannot attend the public hearing set on October 22. Aside from the short notice given him, my client just arrived in Davao from Metro Manila last October 17,” Delgra said.
“Considering his advanced age and the several engagements he had to attend, he is currently not feeling well and is in need of much rest,” he added.
In a recent Quad Comm hearing, retired police colonel Royina Garma claimed Duterte and other high-ranking officials during his term operationalized the “Davao model” of EJKs on a nationwide scale that rewarded cops for every drug suspect.
On Monday, Quad Committee lead chairperson and Surigao del Norte Rep. Ace Barbers said a joint inquiry – similar to a bicameral conference committee — will have a more comprehensive result.
However, Senate President Francis Escudero a joint inquiry may not be possible under existing rules.
“Unfortunately, we have no provision in our rules providing for such a joint investigation,” Escudero said.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, touted to head the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee that will probe the killings during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, said a joint hearing would be “quite difficult.”
“Therotically that’s good, but how can we do that — it’s like bicameral. I don’t know how to schedule a bicam because it depends on everyone’s availability. Bicam is difficult,” Pimentel said.
Meanwhile, the Quad Committee urged the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to file civil forfeiture cases against Chinese nationals allegedly exploiting legal loopholes to acquire land and operate businesses in the Philippines.
The move aims to protect national security and curb foreign ownership violations, according to the chairpersons of the House Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights, and Public Accounts.
The Quad Comm submitted crucial documents to the OSG after conducting eight public hearings on the controversial POGOs.
Central to the issue is Aedy Tai Yang, a Chinese national accused of falsifying Filipino citizenship to evade foreign land ownership laws.
Yang is linked to questionable land acquisitions and business operations, including the ownership of a Pampanga warehouse where authorities seized P3.6 billion worth of shabu in 2023.
His birth certificate, issued in 2004, also raised concerns as it contradicts his claim of being born in 1983.
Further, documents from the Land Registration Authority (LRA) and Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) tie Yang to questionable transactions, including properties acquired through Empire 999 Realty Corporation and Sunflare Industrial Supply Corp.
House leaders urged the OSG to work with various government agencies, including the LRA, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), to expedite the investigation and initiate legal action.
