Bato: Rody 'more confident' to attend Senate-led drug war probe

Former President Rodrigo Duterte is “more comfortable” attending Senate-led hearings as a resource person tackling his administration’s previous implementation of the war on drugs campaign in the country, Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said Wednesday. 

Dela Rosa, who chairs the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, said his panel will launch a motu propio investigation during the chamber’s session break. 

“Wala pa, pero malaking posibilidad na mag-attend siya kung kami mag-imbita. Mukhang mas komportable siya dito sa Senado kesa Lower House (I have yet to tell him, but there’s a bigger possibility that he will attend if the invitation comes from us. It seems that he is more comfortable in the Senate than in the Lower House),” he said in a phone interview with reporters. 

Dela Rosa’s remarks came after his ally, Senator Bong Go, said he is willing to file a resolution to parallel the ongoing House Quad committee investigation into the matter.

“Definite na 'yan during the break. Motu proprio muna habang di pa na-refer sa akin 'yung [resolution] ni Senator Bong Go (It is definite that I will conduct it during the break. It will be motu proprio pending the resolution that Senator Bong Go will file)," Dela Rosa, former chief of the Philippine National Police, said. 

“Ipapatawag natin at kung sinu-sino pang Cabinet member niya noon na pwede nating magiging resource person (We will invite him and other Cabinet members who can be resource persons),” he added. 

Although Dela Rosa has yet to inform Duterte about the proposed probe in the Senate, he expressed confidence that the former president will attend the parallel inquiry in the upper chamber. 

“I don't think na hindi siya mag-attend kung ako ang mag-imbita (I don't think that he will not attend if I invite him),” he said.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the Palace supports the possible reopening of an investigation into extrajudicial killings of high-profile people during the implementation of the war on drugs.

''Of course. The reopening of the investigations of the high killings related to the war on drugs should indicate that the Marcos administration places the highest importance on the fair dispensation of justice and on the universal observance of the rule of law in the country,'' Bersamin told reporters in a text message.