House members deny harassing Dutertes

The quad committee at the House of Representatives refuted on Monday Vice President Sara Duterte’s allegation that their ongoing investigation into the illegal drug trade in which her brother, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, and her husband, Mans Carpio, have been implicated was a case of “political harassment.”

Abang Lingkod Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano, chairperson of the House Committee on Public Accounts that is part of the so-called mega panel, vehemently denied the congressional inquiry was politically motivated, saying their objective revolves solely around truth and justice.

“Our investigation is thorough and impartial. We follow the facts wherever they lead, and we won’t allow any distractions to derail our efforts,” Paduano said. “We are committed to finding the truth based on evidence, not politics.”

Paduano also discouraged the Dutertes from resorting to “diversionary tactics” and instead urged them to respond squarely to the serious drug allegations leveled against the family, whose patriarch was renowned for hunting down illicit drug traders.

During the first public hearing of the quad committee in Pampanga last week, former Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban implicated Rep. Duterte, Carpio, and former President Rodrigo Duterte’s presidential economic adviser, Michael Yang, in the smuggling of P11 billion worth of shabu hidden in magnetic lifters that was discovered at the Manila International Container Port in 2018.

The Duterte camp categorically denied Guban’s allegations, deeming them “baseless” and “maliciously false.”

Former senator Antonio Trillanes III, a staunch critic of the Dutertes, made a similar allegation last month when he filed criminal charges before the Department of Justice, but the Duterte camp brushed it off.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chairperson of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, echoed Paduano, saying politics was not involved in the investigation.

“Political harassment has no place here; we are just doing our job,” Barbers said. “The truth is paramount. We are not here to play politics, but to uphold the principles of justice and accountability.”