THE International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has vindicated the House Quad Comm inquiry into illegal drugs, extrajudicial killings and illicit Philippine offshore gaming operators during the previous administration.
House leaders expressed this view in a news conference Wednesday, asserting that the investigation was legitimate despite being called politically motivated by online fake news peddlers sympathetic to the Dutertes.
Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V of La Union said Duterte’s arrest “actually cements the recommendations of the Quad Comm.”
“Kasi nakita naman natin nung nag-end ang nakaraang session, nasabi naman at nabigkas ang mga recommendations ng Quad Comm. So siguro nabigyan ng validation. Hindi naman dapat i-validate pero nabigyan ng validation yung hearings ng Quad Comm,” he said.
“Hindi naman overnight itong sa ICC, halos pitong taon ang itinagal nito at pitong taon ding pinag-aralan itong kaso na ito. But again on the side of the Quad Comm, sabi ko nga parang nabigyan lalo ng importansya yung mga nagawa ng hearings sa Quad Comm,” he said.
Ortega lamented that the mega panel had been a consistent target of peddlers of fake news.
“Nung nag-umpisa po itong Quad Comm hanggang naging target kami ng fake news, pagpapalaganap ng fake news, lahat po ng miyembro ng Quad Comm ay pinagsisisira po talaga, lalo na nung mga nandun sa kabila,” he said.
“Alam po kasi nila na marami pong lalabas at maa-uncover itong Quad Comm. And now, sabi ko nga po makikita po natin na the Quad Comm is legit, at kahit anong fake news saka paninira ang ibato nila sa Quad Comm, never kaming huminto. Naka base lang naman po kami sa mga affidavit at sa mga statement po ng ating mga resource person. At uulit-ulitin ko, ngayon, mas nakikita ng taong bayan na the Quad Comm is legit,” he said.
Assistant Majority Leader Jude Acidre of Tingog Party-list said the Quad Comm inquiry gave the public a clear understanding of the brutal war on drugs the Duterte administration had waged.
“Alam naman natin dahil sa mga nangyaring imbestigasyon din, nagkaroon ng mas klarong pananaw ang taongbayan tungkol sa totoong nangyari sa panahon ng Duterte administration,” he said.
“And I think credit should be given where credit is due ‘di ba. But I think rather than claiming credit, the members of the Quad Comm are happy to know that people, ‘yung ginawa nating imbestigasyon ay umabot na sa puntong pumapabor sa tao, pumabor sa katarungan at katotohanan yung ginawa nating pagdinig,” he said.
Acidre said because of the House inquiry, people realized that the much-publicized war on drugs was just a scam.
“Nakita natin kung paano tayo nabudol at na-scam ng war against drugs at nalahad yung totoong nangyari direkta mismo, hindi lang sa EJK victims but from some personalities that were involved in designing and implementing the war on drugs,” he added.
“I think that was an eye-opener itself, kaya nung na realized nila na nabudol tayo sa war on drugs eh nagkaroon siguro ng lakas ng loob o di kaya’y mas naliwanagan ang lahat na ang ganitong pangyayari kung saan ginamit ang buong pwersa ng estado para to disregard the rule of law in order to achieve some goals other than what’s legal,” Acidre stressed.