DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 06 October) — “Well, if they will invite me, I just hope that they would ask educated questions,” former president Rodrigo Duterte said in response to questions if he would appear before the House of Representatives’ Quad Committee (QuadComm) which is conducting a joint inquiry on illegal drugs, extrajudicial killings (EJKs) and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs)?
The QuadComm is composed of the Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Human Rights, Public Order and Safety, and Public Accounts.
The QuadComm probe was among the topics discussed during a press conference on Saturday night. Duterte said the killings in Davao City were “caused by illegal drugs.” He denied the existence of POGOs in the city.
“Wala tayong POGO. Kaya namamatay ang mga tao dito dahil na sa illegal drugs. POGO, we are too far away from that,” he said.
Duterte said he will provide legal services for police officers who had earlier served his administration. “Ikokonsulta ko sa mga abugado (I will consult lawyers), I would leave it to lawyers to… Hindi ako practising lawyer eh (I am not a practising lawyer), so I wouldn’t know the dynamics of what are the rules now. All I can do is to provide them with lawyers.”
“Tutulong talaga ako sa (I will really help the police and military, lalo na (especially) in the performance of duties, itataya ko pati ang sarili kong reputasyon (I will even put my reputation at stake),” he added.
House lawmakers detained Napolcom Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo for contempt after he allegedly lied during a hearing last September 27.
Abang Lingkod party-list Representative Stephen Paduano, chair of the House Committee on Public Accounts, said Leonardo lied for denying that a 2016 meeting related to the killing of three Chinese drug convicts at the Davao Prison took place.
Earlier, former police Colonel Royina Garma was also cited for contempt during a House committee hearing for giving evasive replies and denying her close ties to former President Duterte, despite later admitting that she might have been “special” to him, leading lawmakers to question her credibility.
A reporter asked for Duterte’s reaction on insinuations by some QuadComm members about romantic links between him and Garma.
He asked in Cebuano if they meant a sexual relationship, after which he said, “lahat ng pulis malapit talaga sa akin” (all the police are really close to me). (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
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