The formidable House Quad Committee, renowned for its high-stakes probe into the controversies surrounding former president Rodrigo Duterte’s legacy, is on the brink of disbandment due to the exodus of its four chairpersons, who either lost the elections or became term-limited.

Panel co-chairs, Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. and Sta. Rosa Rep. Dan Fernandez, both suffered electoral defeat in the 12 May elections.

Abante lost his re-election bid with a slim margin to his sole contender, Joey Uy. Abante garnered 63,358 votes, narrowly behind Uy’s 64,746.

Meanwhile, Fernandez was also defeated by his challenger, Sol Aragones, in the gubernatorial race in Laguna. Aragones led the race with a commanding 627,034 votes, while Fernandez placed third with 280,478 votes.

Abante was supposed to be Quad Comm’s last ace to continue its unfinished investigation into illegal drug smuggling, human rights violations, POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators), police accountability, and illegal land grabbing by the Chinese, allegedly associated with the Duterte administration.

Quad Comm lead chair Ace Barbers is set to exit the House in June after completing his three terms. His wife, Bernadette, will inherit his seat.

Abang Lingkod Rep. Stephen “Caraps” Paduano will also vacate his seat after being term-limited and barred from seeking re-election. He served three consecutive terms from 2019 to 2025.

Fernandez, also term-limited, was supposed to be succeeded by his son, Danzel, but the latter was also defeated by his rival, who secured a lead of more than 15,000 votes.

Only Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop, the panel’s senior vice chair, will return to the House in the 20th Congress after running unopposed for re-election with 131,925 votes.

Acop is at a crucial crossroads. He is poised to assume the chairmanship role if the new leadership of the upcoming Congress retains Quad Comm and allows it to finish its leftover tasks.

The Quad Comm was formed in August last year to rigorously probe the interlink between illegal drugs involving Chinese nationals and POGOs, which flourished during the Duterte administration.

The mega-panel is comprised of four committees: dangerous drugs, human rights, public order and safety, and public accounts. Barbers, Abante, Fernandez, and Paduano chaired these, respectively.

The multi-committee has conducted an extensive probe that exposed a web of criminal activities, ranging from illegal drugs and corruption involving Chinese nationals, to drug smuggling, POGOs, and the alleged quota system in the police during Duterte’s bloody anti-drug campaign.

The Quad Comm, in December, had already recommended the filing of criminal charges against former president Duterte and his top allies, Senators Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, who were both highly implicated in the drug war.