Koko: Blue Ribbon to work double time probing drug war EJKs

Former President Rodrigo Duterte will attend Monday’s first Senate hearing on his bloody war against drugs, Senate President Francis Escudero said.

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.

Escudero also assured the former president he would be treated with courtesy during the proceedings.

Pimentel, for his part, said invitations will be sent to Duterte, retired police colonel Royina Garma, former National Police Commission head Edilberto Leonardo, former Senator Leila de Lima, alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, and the families of drug war victims.

“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.

In a recent House Quad Committee hearing, Garma claimed Duterte and other high-ranking officials during his term operationalized the “Davao model” of extrajudicial killings on a nationwide scale that rewarded cops for every drug suspect killed.

Police Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido also testified that a scheme of payouts to hitmen neutralizing or killing drug suspects existed, with funds flowing from the level of Duterte’s former special adviser and now Senator Bong Go.

Go as well as Dela Rosa, who served as Philippine National Police chief during Duterte’s term, have both denied involvement in the drug war reward scheme.

At the House, Duterte skipped the ninth hearing of the Quad Comm that is looking into drug war-related EJKs, among other issues.

Lead committee chairman Rep. Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte said Duterte was invited “to provide valuable insights and shed light on the issues under discussion particularly on extrajudicial killings.”

Duterte’s lawyer Martin Delgra lll on Monday wrote Barbers that the former President could not attend yesterday’s hearing because he was not feeling well.

“Considering his advanced age and the recent engagements he had to attend, he is currently not feeling well and is in need of much rest. Hence, my client respectfully requests to defer his appearance,” Delgra said in his letter.

He assured the joint panel of Duterte’s “willingness to appear before the House of Representatives on some other available date, preferably after 01 November 2024.”

For her part, De Lima on Tuesday said she hopes Duterte will get well soon so he can face the Quad Committee.

De Lima, whom the Duterte administration jailed for almost seven years based on trumped up drug charges that the courts eventually dismissed, attended the Quad Comm hearing yesterday as a resource person.

“I hope he gets well so he will have the health to face the music. So hopefully – to former President Duterte, I hope you get well, get well so you have the strength to face everything,” she said.

Some lawmakers, however, were unhappy with Duterte’s non-appearance, saying it was disrespectful of the Quad Committee’s bid to uncover the truth behind the EJKs during his term.

“By refusing to participate, the former president is hindering the people’s right to know and denying them the opportunity to seek justice for the crimes caused by the War on Drugs during his term,” Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas said.

ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro added: “They can speak their minds publicly with no restraint, but when asked to be present in these proceedings, it’s as if they are using ‘squid tactics’ in trying to defend their absence.” With Rolando Ng II

Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Duterte to attend Senate drug war probe—Escudero.”