House EJK probe proceeds as ex-president Duterte attends

MANILA, Philippines — After postponing the eleventh hearing into the drug-related extrajudicial killings on November 11, the House Quad Committee proceeded as initially scheduled on Wednesday, November 13.

This comes after former President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesperson Salvador Panelo announced late Monday evening that they will both attend the hearing. The two arrived at the House of Representatives around 9:57 a.m.
In an ambush interview, Panelo said Duterte arrived in Manila on Monday.

According to him, the former president said, "Para magkaalaman na, pupunta na ako (So we could know the truth, I'll be attending)," to address all allegations and accusations.

Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (Surigao del Norte, 2nd District) said during an ambush interview on Wednesday that he and other Quad Comm chairpersons decided last night to "take advantage" of the opportunity while Duterte is in Manila.

"We just spoke with the co-chairs at syempre 'yung ibang miyembro sila ba ay willing ituloy. Sabi nila, 'Sige ituloy natin. Sayang 'yung chance,'" he told reporters.

(We just spoke with the co-chairs and of course the other members were asked if they're willing to push through with the hearing. They said, "Okay, let's proceed with the hearing. It would be a waste if we don't take the chance.")

"We want to take advantage of the fact that the former president is in Manila," Barbers added.

Barbers also said the Quad Comm will not tolerate any swearing from Duterte, a behavior he displayed during the Senate hearing on the war on drugs last October 28.

However, while the joint committee's chairs said they will respect Duterte as a former president, Rep. Bienvenido Abante (Manila, 6th District) said they will still "draw the line."

"However, my friends, colleagues: let me draw a clear line here. While we should be respectful, we cannot be deferential," he said, emphasizing the need to hold people involved in the bloody drug war accountable. 

Families of EJK victims were also present, holding a Catholic mass prior to the hearing.

Even on Wednesday morning, Barbers said they still had not received any formal confirmation from Duterte or his legal counsel. However, they will proceed with the hearing nonetheless. 

At a press conference on Tuesday, November 12, Barbers said the cancelation was made after no resource person confirmed their attendance for Wednesday's hearing. 

RELATED: Ex-president Duterte announces House drug war probe attendance after postponement notice

He also mentioned the mega panel needed time to interview and vet the credibility of resource persons who wish to testify. This is why they originally postponed it to November 21.

However, the mega panel issued a notice late Tuesday evening that the eleventh hearing will push through on November 13.

The Congress' website had also removed the "cancelation" status from its calendar of meetings. 

Duterte was absent from the past two hearings — first due to feeling unwell, and second due to doubts about the Quad Comm's integrity.

The former president is facing allegations of implementing a reward system for the killing of drug suspects. His war on drugs has resulted in around 6,000 extrajudicial killings, according to government data.

However, human rights groups estimate the figure could reach 30,000, citing numerous unreported and uninvestigated cases.