LEADERS of the House quad-committee on Friday called on former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and his allies to provide evidence that his previous statements about killing drug personalities were intended as jokes or hyperbole.
The call came after the joint panel—composed of the Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights and Public Accounts—heard testimonies from two convicted hitmen who claimed Duterte had issued kill orders against three Chinese drug lords in 2016.
"This is the right moment for the former administration, especially to its former officials and the former president, to justify that they were correct in saying that the pronouncements of the former President were all jokes or strong words but are not real," said Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez, who chairs the Public Order and Safety panel.
Fernandez recalled, “We still remember the time when the former President was always saying, 'Papapatayin kita, maihulog kita sa helicopter'—things like that."
Back then, Duterte’s officials and allies would often defend him by claiming he was joking or exaggerating.
Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers stressed that the testimonies of inmates Leopoldo “Tata” Tan Jr. and Fernando “Andy” Magdadaro cannot be ignored, especially with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) confirming other inmates are willing to testify about drug war-related killings during the Duterte administration.
"It was PDEA Director General who reached out to us that these people who were sent to prison and convicted who want to testify on extrajudicial killings (EKJs) because of threats during the previous administration," Barbers said.
"We evaluated the situation and sought legal experts for comments, and we saw that their testimony has value because their testimonies are very serious," he added.
Barbers chairs the Committee on Dangerous Drugs and is designated overall chair of the quad-committee that is investigating the links between Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), the proliferation of illegal drug trade, the unlawful land acquisitions by Chinese nationals, and the EJKs associated with the Duterte administration’s brutal war on drugs.
During the quad-committee’s second hearing last Thursday, Tan and Magdadaro testified that they killed the three Chinese drug lords at the Davao Prison and Penal Farm under alleged orders from then-President Duterte, shortly after he launched his anti-drug campaign.
According to the inmates, they were promised P1 million for each kill and their freedom, but neither promise was fulfilled after only P2 million was given to them.
The three EJK victims—Chu Kin Tung, alias Tony Lim; Li Lan Yan, alias Jackson Li; and Wong Meng Pin, alias Wang Ming Ping—were serving sentences for their involvement in illegal drug activities and who were in a separate, heavily secured area within the prison, with two of them previously convicted for operating a drug laboratory in Parañaque City.
The lawmakers also refuted claims of Duterte allies the quad comm probe is simply a demolition job against the former president.
“Kung mayroong, along the way, ay may tatamaan, may masasagasaan, kung ‘yan ang katotohanan, ‘yan po ang aming ilalabas,” said Barbers.
“Ako, para sa akin, they can say whatever they want to say. Mula nag-umpisa itong Quad Comm, marami na pong bumabatikos, sinasabi nila na ito daw ay politically motivated, ito daw ay witch hunt, ito daw ay walang patutunguhan,” Barbers added.
“Para sa amin sa Quad Comm, naniniwala kami na ang aming layunin ay ilabas ang katotohanan. Hindi dahil sa may mga nabanggit ng personalidad, kundi to ferret out the truth on the issues of EJK at saka yung smuggling of illegal drugs,” he added.
Former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo described it as "demolition job" on the Dutertes the linking of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte to the murders of three Chinese detainees in Davao in 2016, according to two inmates who testified before the Quad Comm on Thursday.
Fernandez said the Quad Comm probe on EJKs and illegal drugs did not just start recently as the separate committees comprising the Quad Comm have been investigating these issues as early as last year.
“Ngayon kung sinasabi nilang political harassment ‘yan, na may demolition job ‘yan, well actually hindi naman namin talaga kasalanan kung ‘yung mga nakukuha naming mga ebidensya na pumapasok sa amin, nagli-lead doon sa kanila,” Fernandez said.
“We still remember the time when the former president was always saying ‘papatayin kita, ihuhulog kita sa helicopter, mga things like that.’ It's not our fault that these people na nag-wi-witness are trying to tell all just right now,” Fernandez said.
“Kasi siguro ang feeling nila during that time, hindi nila masasabi because they (Dutertes) were in power. Now na siguro na nakita nila na … naghiwalay yung partidong Uniteam, siguro nakakita sila ng window that somehow with this kind of political climate in our country na nagkahiwalay, nagkaroon sila na opportunity to air their grievances,” Fernandez added.
Fernandez said that what they just do in the Quad Comm hearings is hear and receive evidence presented to them and not engage in a demolition job as Panelo accuses.
“Kami naman dito, tinatanggap namin po yung mga ebidensiya na dumadating sa amin because basically kung titignan naman yung kanilang mga inihaing mga testimoniya, makikita mo namang may link,” Fernandez said.
“And the reason why we are pursuing this, not because it is a political harassment or tinatawag nila na demolition. I don't want to be a part of any demolition job,” he added.
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