House quad comm denies VP allegation on drug probe

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 his brother Davao City Representative Paolo Duterte and his husband Mans Carpio are being implicated, was a “political harassment.”

Abang Lingkod Representative Joseph Stephen Paduano, chairperson of the House Committee on Public Accounts that comprised the so-called mega panel, vehemently denied that the congressional inquiry was politically motivated, adding that their objective only revolves 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.”

He also discouraged the Dutertes from resorting to “diversionary tactics” and instead responded squarely to the serious drug allegations leveled against their family, whose patriarch is renowned for hunting down illicit drug traders.

During the first public hearing of the quad comm in Pampanga last week, former Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban implicated Paolo, 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 discovered at the Manila International Container Port in 2018.