The House Quad Committee is ready to present an initial report to the plenary regarding its exhaustive inquiries into illegal drugs and their connection to illicit Philippine offshore gambling operators (POGOs) and extrajudicial killings (EJKs) under the Duterte administration.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the committee chair person, said on Sunday that the mega panel would submit the report before Congress begins its Christmas recess on December 21.
He explained that since congressional investigations are held in aid of legislation, congressmen seek to leverage insights gleaned from the probe to introduce new measures.
Such measures can, in turn, be submitted to President Marcos for him to include in his priority legislative agenda or certify them as urgent so that Congress could expedite the approval process.
“The reason why we will submit this progress report in the plenary is so that action can be taken [quickly],” Barbers said.
Quad Committee members have introduced at least four remedial measures, he pointed out.
“It is important, if I’m not mistaken, that we have four proposed pieces of legislation [for] amending Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002,” Barbers said.
Also among the remedial pieces of legislation included is a bill defining EJKs as a heinous crime and imposing the maximum penalty on offenders.
There is also a bill seeking to create an inter-agency government committee led by the Philippine Statistics Authority to expedite the administrative cancellation of questionable birth certificates, he added.
Barbers mentioned that the Quad Comm’s initial progress report would also include recommendations for filing charges against individuals linked to illegal drugs, illicit POGOs, and EJKs, urging concerned government agencies to actively pursue such cases.
He stated that the four-committee panel would present progress reports as it continues its inquiry into illegal drugs, POGOs, and EJKs.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “QuadComm to present progress report on POGO, EJK probe”