Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen "Caraps" Paduano (left), former president Rodrigo Duterte (Facebook)

A frustrated Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen "Caraps" Paduano wondered out loud on Thursday, Nov. 7 whether or not former president Rodrigo Duterte was afraid to attend the quad-committee (quad-comm) hearings in the House of Representatives. 

This, as Paduano assailed the Duterte camp for seemingly taking the House members for a ride regarding the ex-president's promised appearance before the mega-panel, which at this point may never happen.

The quad-comm held on Thursday its 10th hearing, with Duterte's bloody war on drugs being the main topic. Paduano is one of the four co-chairmen of the quad-comm. 

Duterte's absence in the proceedings caused the visibly-irked congressman to make a manifestation.

"Naglolokohan tayo dito because the first letter promised us that he will be present after Nov. 1. Kung hindi tayo naglolokohan dito, ano, natatakot siya na pumunta dito?" Paduano asked.

(We're fooling each other here because the first letter promised us that he will be present after Nov. 1. If we're not fooling each other, then want, he's afraid to come here?)

The letter cited by Paduano was the one submitted to quad-comm overall chairman Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers last month by Duterte’s counsel, lawyer Martin Delgra III.

The letter sought to excuse Duterte from attending the previous Oct. 22 hearing of the mega-panel. Delgra claimed that his client wasn't feeling well and needed to rest, but at the same time committed the latter's attendance to a quad-comm hearing "after Nov. 1".

However, only six days later, a rather energetic and enthusiastic Duterte appeared before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and testified about this drug war. With this, the House join panel invited the former chief executive to Thursday’s hearing. 

"This is the second hearing that we invited the former President," Paduano said.

"Mr. Chairman, naglolokohan tayo dito (we're fooling each other here), why?...the excuse is that the former president needs much rest and assured this committee that he will be present in the next hearing at the same time he has a specific date Mr. Chairman given to this committee through this letter, 'after Nov. 1'," he noted.

Delgra sent Barbers on Nov. 5 a second letter, this time to send Duterte's regrets about skipping the Nov. 7 hearing.

Through Delgra, Duterte told Barbers that his attendance to the quad-comm was "no longer necessary" since he had already spoken at length during the Blue Ribbon panel hearing. He also assailed the integrity of the quad-comm, calling it a "ploy aimed to indict him". 

Duterte also slammed quad-comm co-chairmen Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. and Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez for their alleged lack of impartiality. 

Quad-comm vice chairman, Antipolo City 2nd district Rep. Romeo Acop moved to invite Delgra to the next hearing so he may clarify his remarks in his two letters. Barbers carried the motion after no House member objected to it.

HAVE YOU READ THIS?

https://mb.com.ph/2024/11/6/duterte-to-skip-quad-comm-hearing

Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (Screenshot from Facebook livestream)

'Chickened out'

For Majority Leader and Zamboanga City 2nd district Rep Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe, the former chief executive simply "chickened out" from attending the two quad-comm hearings.

“Sa tingin namin, parang naduwag si dating pangulong Duterte sa pagdalo sa Quad Comm hearing dahil takot siyang harapin at sagutin ang mas malalalim na katanungan ng mga miyembro ng Kamara at pamilya ng mga biktima ng EJKs (extrajudicial killings) na humihingi ng katarungan,” said Dalipe. 

(In our view, it looks like former president Duterte chickened out from attending the quad-comm hearing because he's afraid to face and answer the more probing questions of the House members and families of the EJK victims who are seeking justice.)

Barbers hits back at Dela Rosa

Meanwhile, Barbers fired back at Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa for branding the quad-comm hearings as a "gag show". Dela Rosa did so during the Oct. 28 Senate hearing.

“We may be accused of providing entertainment and likened to a gag show, but who is laughing...On the contrary, the one who said that must be so full of himself that he didn’t notice that the joke was on him,” Barbers said.

Dela Rosa--a key figure in the drug war due to his former role as Philippine National Police (PNP) chief under Duterte--has repeatedly declined invitations to participate in the House inquiry. 

Barbers says that the ongoing investigation aims to uncover the truth behind the bloodbath, not to provide entertainment. 

“If along the way, people are found to be liable, it is our duty to make sure that justice is served. There is nothing funny about it. We only mean serious business,” he asserted. 

The lawmaker from Surigao del Norte also denied allegations that quad-comm witnesses have been coerced into testifying. This included recent claims made by Police Colonel Hector Grijaldo, who alleged that committee leaders pressures him to confirm the existence of a reward system in the drug war.

Barbers firmly denied any attempts to manipulate testimonies, and underscored the integrity of the investigation process. “Forced admissions, in any way, were never a part of quad-comm," he said.