Quad panel no ulterior motive — Barbers

The quad committee in the House of Representatives has allayed fears that its joint probe into the alleged crime against humanity during the previous administration is aimed at indicting former president Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Ronald "Bato" de la Rosa, the chief implementor of the bloody drug war.

In an interview on Sunday, Surigao del Norte Rep. Ace Barbers, chair of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, categorically denied De la Rosa's allegation that the quad panel, designed to identify the possible links between illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO), illicit drug trade, and extrajudicial killings (EJKs), has an ulterior motive. 

"The congressional committee has no right to prosecute anyone. [It's merely] inquiries in aid of legislation… We are not accusing anyone. Neither does every committee, whether in the Senate or in the [House], have the right to prosecute. That's what we want to convey to them," said Barbers, referring to Duterte and De la Rosa. 

Over the weekend, De la Rosa, Duterte's former Philippine National Police chief, contended that he would not attend the House probe on EJK, citing inter-parliamentary courtesy—a long-standing tradition in Congress where members of both chambers accord each other respect and do not meddle in each other's affairs.

The senator labeled the congressional inquiry as a "fishing expedition" and suspects that House leaders, including Speaker Martin Romualdez, merely want to implicate him and Duterte in the International Criminal Court, which has been looking into the drug-related killings.

During his term, Duterte ordered police forces to kill drug suspects resisting arrest in a purported staged buy-bust operation. His marching order later resulted in the deaths of 7,000 individuals, based on government data. 

Local and international human rights organizations, however, estimated that the death toll exceeded 30,000, affecting predominantly low-income families and communities.

"We have no right to give the ICC a space because we are not members of it and the quad com doesn't care about the ICC investigation," Barbers countered.

Both Duterte and De la Rosa have snubbed the previous House's invitation to EJK hearings, arguing that it's not the proper forum. 

While Barbers stressed that the quad com would respect their decision out of inter-parliament courtesy—notwithstanding De la Rosa himself violated the same by inviting Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel into the inquiry on the alleged recruitment of students to the New People's Army—House Deputy Majority Leader Jude Acidre is not receptive to the idea. 

In a separate interview on Sunday, Acidre emphasized that while Duterte is entitled to courtesies, it should not be at the expense of a pivotal public investigation.

"Inter-parliamentary courtesy should not be an obstacle to our desire to clarify the issue, whatever it is. It is there to protect the freedom and the dignity of the constitution of our Congress and give deference to independence and separation of powers," Acidre said in the vernacular.

In addition, he stressed that a former president appearing before a House inquiry is not unusual as other former chief executives, including the late Benigno Aquino III, had once been invited to a congressional probe concerning the Dengvaxia scandal.

As for De la Rosa, Acidre said that as a senator, he knows very well "the role of a resource person in how to shed light on the issue being discussed."

Acidre also took issue with De la Rosa's "very unfortunate" remarks against Romualdez and made it clear that "politics has nothing to do with what's happening in the House."

On Wednesday, De la Rosa alleged that Romualdez and Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations, are in cahoots with National Intelligence Coordinating Agency Director General Ricardo de Leon and former senator Antonio Trillanes IV to pressure top PNP officials, including Police Major General Romeo Caramat Jr., to expose EJK and frame him as a suspect in the brutal drug war.

House Deputy Speaker David on Sunday lashed out at Dela Rosa, calling his allegations baseless and a distraction from the real issues at hand.

"Senator Dela Rosa's accusations are not only unnecessary but also unparliamentary and unbecoming of a public servant. The House leadership has always acted with the utmost integrity, and it is highly irresponsible for anyone to suggest that they are behind a witch hunt against Senator Dela Rosa or former President Duterte," Suarez lamented.

The Quezon lawmaker clarified that the quad committee was not initiated by the House leadership but was formed through the strong consensus of members who overwhelmingly supported the resolution in plenary.

Barber's panel comprised the quad com along with the Committee on Human Rights, chaired by Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., the Committee on Public Order and Safety, headed by Santa Rosa Rep. Dan Fernandez, and the Committee on Public Accounts, led by Abang Lingkod Rep. Stephen Caraps Paduano. 

Formed last week, the panel aims to rigorously scrutinize the interconnected issues between the proliferation of illegal drug trade, human rights violations, and criminal activities in POGO, which they claimed flourished during the Duterte administration. 

The quad com is scheduled to set its agenda and ground rules on Monday.