No stopping Quadcomm probe

No stopping Quadcomm probe | Daily Tribune

The House quad committee on Friday vowed that its contentious probe into the notorious bloody war on drugs of the Duterte administration and the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) would continue, encouraged by the recent survey showing that most Filipinos support its preliminary findings.

In a joint statement, the chairmen of the mega-panel led by Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers pledged that their battle in pursuit of justice for the victims of the “systemic abuses” will not end until the culprits are behind bars.

“This is a clear mandate from the people to pursue justice and expose the truth behind these systemic abuses. We will not waver in our mission to hold the powerful offenders accountable,” the statement read.

“This overwhelming support from the Filipino people strengthens our resolve to go after those responsible for these systemic abuses. The people demand justice, and we will not back down,” it added.

The commissioned Pulse Asia survey showed that 61 percent of Filipinos are in favor of the congressional investigation, outpacing those not in favor (11 percent) and undecided (24 percent).

The study, conducted from 26 November to 3 December last year, also showed that 37 percent of respondents want the panel to pinpoint the government officials involved in the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJK), illegal drugs, and illegal POGOs.

Metro Manila had the highest number at 73 percent of those who back the probe, followed by Balance Luzon with 66 percent, and the Visayas with 59 percent.

Meanwhile, Mindanao — where former President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, who are among the subjects of the investigation, hail from — showed the lowest support for the survey question at 46 percent.

The Quadcomm in December recommended the filing of criminal charges against ex-president Duterte and his top allies, Senators Christopher “Bong” Go and Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, who were both implicated in the drug killings.

The recommendation was part of the super panel’s progress report following 13 exhaustive hearings into the summary killings committed at the height of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

The panel asserted that Duterte, Dela Rosa, Go, former police chiefs Oscar Albayalde and Debold Sinas, along with erstwhile police officers Royina Garma and Edilberto Leonardo, and ex-Palace aide Herminia “Muking” Espino, should be held liable for violating Section 6 of Republic Act 9851, or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and other Crimes against Humanity.

Earlier, the Department of Justice (DoJ) said it would study the quadcomm’s report with the view of consolidating it with its collated evidence from its own investigation into the bloody anti- drugs campaign.

Subsequently, the DoJ will file the cases through the National Prosecution Service if the evidence warrants it, according to Justice Undersecretary Jesse Andres.

Based on government data, more than 7,000 persons were killed during the elder Duterte’s war on drugs. Local and international human rights organizations, however, estimated that the figure was a far cry from the actual death toll, which may have exceeded 30,000 victims mostly from low income families and communities.

While members of the quadcomm are resolute about indicting the guilty, they maintain that they will not submit their report or cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) which is investigating the Duterte administration for alleged crimes against humanity.

The Philippines officially cut ties with the Rome Statute which created the ICC in March 2019 pursuant to Duterte’s order. However, the tribunal asserted that it still retained jurisdiction over any potential crimes against humanity that occurred prior to the country’s withdrawal.

Reports from last year stated that an arrest warrant from the ICC against Duterte was in the works and that it had also proceeded with its probe, especially after the families of the drug war victims had started to come forward.