Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. (left), former president Rodrigo Duterte (Facebook, Malacañang photo)

Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. says former president Rodrigo Duterte’s reported willingness to face the House quad-committee (quad-comm) is a "welcome development", but the mega-panel can't have the latter just yet. 

In a chance interview Tuesday, Oct. 8, Abante confirmed that the next quad-comm hearing would be held on Friday. The obvious question was, would Duterte be asked to appear? 

"Sa amin, yung positive intention ng ating dating pangulo na mag-attend sa aming hearing, welcome development sa amin yun. In my committee, inimbitahan na namin siya although he failed to attend," said Abante, a co-chairman of the quad-comm. 

(For us, the positive intention of the former president to attend our hearings, that's a welcome development for us. In my committee, we've already invited him although he failed to attend.) 

"But I don't think he will be invited on Friday," noted the reelectionist, whose mother committee is the Committee on Human Rights. 

"Kasi mayroon pang ilan na mga witnesses na iimbitahin namin. Sayang naman kung hindi namin mapag-uukulan ng pansin lahat ng inimbitahan namin na witnesses at resource persons," he explained. 

(Because we will invite other witnesses. It would be a waste if we won't be able to give attention to all the witnesses and resource persons that we invited.) 

Duterte was initially against the idea of taking part in the House probe. However, recent interviews indicate that he is ready to participate. 

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The Abante panel was the first in the House of Representatives to investigate--in aid of legislation--the bloody war on drugs of the previous Duterte administration. 

This probe, which covered the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) of the drug war, had since been expanded by the quad-comm, which involved three other panels. 

At any rate, the Manila lawmaker said that Duterte would "be accorded the respect of a former president...and cordiality", should the latter's appearance at the special four-way panel come to fruition.