Palace confirms possible attendees for next hearing on Rody's arrest

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) confirmed Monday that the Palace has provided a list of potential attendees for the upcoming Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing, chaired by Sen. Imee Marcos, scheduled for 10 April.

In a press briefing, PCO Undersecretary said that the Office of the Executive Secretary (ES) submitted a list of officials who may attend the hearing, although official invitations have not yet been confirmed.

Among those expected to attend are Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon, Chief State Counsel Dennis Arvin Chan, and Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.

Other attendees include Philippine Center on Transnational Crime Executive Director Anthony Alcantara, PNP Chief Gen. Rommel Marbil, CIDG Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre, DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac, and Special Envoy on Transnational Crimes Markus Lacanilao.

Senate President Chiz Escudero played a key role in facilitating communication between the executive branch and the Senate, ensuring that key officials would attend voluntarily, without the need for subpoenas.

While executive privileges may still be invoked during the hearing, Escudero emphasized that the purpose of the session is to promote unity and understanding, avoiding further constitutional conflicts.

This development follows a previous Senate hearing where several Cabinet members, including Remulla, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, and Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro, chose to skip the proceedings. Their absence prompted requests for subpoenas from certain senators, which Escudero worked to prevent by securing the commitment of the officials to attend voluntarily.