Former President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his intention to attend the first Senate hearing on Monday regarding his controversial anti-drug campaign, according to Senate President Francis Escudero.
In a press conference, Escudero said Senator Ronald dela Rosa personally invited Duterte to attend the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing to be presided by Subcommittee chairperson Senate Minority Leader Senator Aquilino Pimentel III.
“According to Senator Bato, he invited President Duterte who expressed willingness to attend,” Escudero said. He also assured that the former president would be treated with courtesy during the proceedings.
Pimentel III expressed readiness to lead the Senate investigation on the alleged drug war, emphasizing the need to fast-track the process.
“We do not have all the time in the world. As the minority leader, I have questions to ask. We will stay focused and deal only with issues relating to the drug war,” he said.
He also mentioned that his subcommittee would prepare a list of potential resource persons and start the hearing in an orderly manner.
“For an orderly investigation, we also need an orderly story so we will begin with the Duterte administration at 12 noon of June 30, 2016 or even days before that…until his end of term at 12 noon of June 30, 2022,” added Pimentel.
Dela Rosa confirmed that Duterte will attend the hearing regardless of the presiding officer.
Pimentel mentioned that invitations are being sent to Duterte, retired Police Colonel Royina Garma, former National Police Commission commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, former Senator Leila de Lima, alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, and the families of drug war victims.
Meanwhile, the senators stated that the proposal of the House Quad Committee to conduct a joint or bicameral committee hearing is impossible.
The Quad Committee has conducted several hearings into the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, where the names of Senators Dela Rosa and Christopher Go were mentioned and implicated in the alleged reward system for its nationwide implementation.
