“This is the message of the Quad Committee hearings: that in an age of moral compromise, we chose to stand firm. That even when evil seemed entrenched and overwhelming, we did not turn away. Through our work, we have reminded every evildoer, every coward in uniform, every merchant of death and deceit: your time is over.”
This was stressed on Monday by House Human Rights Committee Chair Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr., who at the final hearing of the House Quad Committee said the 15 hearings of the Committee are “just the beginning—the beginning of justice. The beginning of reform. The beginning of national repentance.”
He pointed out that “what began as a search for answers has evolved into a reckoning. Through these hearings, we have not merely uncovered wrongdoing; we have brought these evils into the light, where they can no longer hide behind rank, uniform, or position. These halls have heard the cries of the voiceless and the powerless—and their echoes will resound in the laws we have forged, and the path we have opened for the law to take its course.”
His remarks, delivered by Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, cited the courage of whistleblowers, the duty of lawmakers, and the responsibility of the state to protect the powerless.
According to Abante, the accomplishments of the Quad Comm were possible “because good people chose not to be silent. All these—lahat ito—we owe to those who dared to speak when it was easier to remain silent.”
“I thank my fellow chairs and colleagues, who stood firm through doubt and pressure; some of whom have paid the ultimate political price for their principles. I thank the brave witnesses—whistleblowers, survivors, patriots—who told the truth even when the truth could cost them everything.”
The committee’s work has produced several key measures now pending before Congress. These include House Bill No. 10986, which classifies and penalizes extrajudicial killings as heinous crimes and provides reparations to victims’ families; House Bill No. 10987, which seeks to ban all forms of offshore gaming operations and has been included among the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council’s (LEDAC) priority measures; House Bill No. 11043, which allows civil forfeiture of real estate unlawfully acquired by foreign nationals; House Bill No. 11117, which provides for the administrative cancellation of birth certificates fraudulently obtained by foreigners; and House Bill No. 10998, which punishes conspiracies and proposals to commit espionage.
“These halls have heard the cries of the voiceless and the powerless—and their echoes will resound in the laws we have forged,” said Abante. “Hindi lang tayo nakinig, hindi lang tayo naawa; tayo ay kumilos.”
The lawmaker also issued a warning to those who have sought to obstruct justice or flee accountability. Abante lamented that “there were those who lied. There were those who fled. Those who twisted the truth, who buried evidence, who used power not to protect the people but to shield themselves from the people’s judgment.”
“To them, I say: your day will come. To them, we say this: you may escape our reach, but not the long arms of the law. The law may sometimes move slowly, but it moves. And justice—true justice—never forgets.”