Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte will not be appearing at the House Quad Committee investigation on Thursday.
Duterte’s lawyer, Martin Delgra III, said in a letter addressed to the committee that his client cannot attend the hearing as he is “already doubtful as to the Honorable House Quad Committee’s integrity, independence, and probity in conducting the legislative inquiry in aid of legislation.”
In light of this recent development, there remains a persistent clamor for the former president to appear at the upcoming Quad Committee hearing.
“As a lawyer, ex-President Duterte has the opportunity to show Filipinos his commitment to lawful processes by participating in the Quad Committee inquiry into the war on drugs, which allegedly claimed over 30,000 lives,” said House Assistant Majority Leader Pammy Zamora of Taguig City.
According to Zamora, Duterte’s presence would reinforce respect for the rule of law, because regardless of former titles and power, everyone should answer and be held accountable for their actions.
House Assistant Majority Leader Jay Khonghun of Zambales challenged the former president to attend the Quad Committee hearing on Thursday. “No one is above the law, regardless of one’s stature in society — rich or poor, president or not.”
Khonghun, one of the leaders of the “Young Guns” clique in the chamber, said that Duterte should take the next step beyond merely protecting policemen whom he allegedly ordered to kill drug suspects — considering that he is no longer immune from suit since July 2022.
“There is the repeated demand for public accountability here, especially in light of the so-called state-sponsored executions, where innocent lives have been lost in the name of the purported war against illegal drugs,” Khonghun said.
“Go beyond rhetoric. Tell us the whole truth about EJKs, and don’t be selective in your testimony. The Filipinos deserve nothing less. Prove to us your real worth by showing you are the country’s poster boy in terms of transparency, that you’re not afraid of anything,” Khonghun added. “Truth, no matter how hard, should prevail above everything else, even more than power itself.”
House Assistant Majority Leader Paolo Ortega of La Union, another leader of the Young Guns coalition in the House of Representatives, suggested that Duterte’s attendance at the Quad Committee could lead to further incrimination, not only for himself but also for Dela Rosa and Go, both of whom played significant roles in the administration’s anti-drug campaign, which claimed thousands of lives, including those of innocent civilians and children.
“I believe his legal team might pursue a ‘play it safe’ strategy of ‘less talk, fewer mistakes,’ and they can best achieve this by advising Duterte not to attend the Quad Committee hearing. They’ll only dig themselves deeper if the former president speaks,” Ortega said. (With reports from Paula Valero)
