Rody testimony welcome, says QuadComm

The House quad committee is set to invite former president Rodrigo Duterte to its ongoing probe into his bloody drug war after the latter indicated he would finally accept the invitation after repeatedly snubbing it in the previous hearings.

The panel is scheduled to hold its eighth inquiry into the Duterte administration’s alleged extrajudicial killings and the proliferation of illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators on 11 October.

In an interview on Tuesday, Manila Representative Bienvenido Abante Jr. said they welcome the former president’s willingness to testify at the probe, however, they will not yet invite him this week but rather at subsequent hearings.

“That’s for sure, we’re going to invite him. The fact that he gave us a very positive intention that he will attend to air his side,” said Abante, co-chair of the QuadComm.

On Monday, Duterte said he’s now ready to face the House probe with a condition that only “educated questions” will be raised.

Abante countered that the committee is amenable to Duterte’s condition but just “don’t curse at the hearing.”

The lawmaker likewise assured that “we will accord him all the respect and congeniality.”

The Abante-led House Committee on Human Rights, which comprised the quad comm, had previously invited Duterte and Senator Ronald de la Rosa to face the hearing, but the two persistently ignored it.