Former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Wilkins Villanueva (left), Police Col. Hector Grijaldo (Screenshots from Facebook livestream)

The House quad-committee (quad-comm) finally cited for contempt two resource persons whose statements and antics have caught the ire of solons during the course of the mega-panel's investigation on the illegal drug trade.

Cited for contempt and slapped with detention orders during the 13th quad-comm hearing on Thursday, Dec. 12 were former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Wilkins Villanueva and Police Col. Hector Grijaldo.

Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen “Caraps” Paduano moved to cite Villanueva for contempt after he repeatedly denied involvement in the warrantless arrest of Jed Pilapil Sy, wife of suspected drug lord Allan Sy, following the 2004 raid on a shabu lab in Dumoy, Davao City.

“You are lying! You are not respecting this committee!” a fuming Paduano told Villanueva just before making his motion.

That Villanueva was making faces as Paduano spoke further displeased the latter.

Quad-comm overall chairman Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers approved the motion after it was seconded without objections.

Duterte’s former presidential economic adviser and close associate, Michael Yang, has been implicated in the Dumoy drug lab raid, which led to the confiscation of over 100 kilos of high-grade "shabu" worth P300 million. It was considered the largest drug bust of its time.

However, Villanueva, who was PDEA regional director at the time, had repeatedly denied Yang’s involvement, and stated that there was no evidence linking Yang to the drug lab.

Villanueva later became PDEA director general during Duterte’s presidency.

In past hearings, quad-comm vice chairman, Antipolo City 2nd district Rep. Romeo Acop would call out Villanueva's sheer refusal to implicate Yang in any bad way, despite testimonies and evidence pointing to the contrary.

As for Sy's arrest, Villanueva claimed that he didn't recall arresting Sy but remembered her being questioned at the PDEA office following the Dumoy raid.

“Hindi ko po maalala na kinausap ko siya. Nasa opisina po siya ng PDEA (I don't remember talking to her. She was at the PDEA office),” he said of Sy. But Paduano believed that the PDEA chief wasn't being truthful.

As a penalty, Villanueva was ordered detained at the House of Representatives detention facility until the hearings conclude.

However, Acop motioned that, instead of immediately, the dentention order would take effect when the quad-comm probe resumes on Jan. 13 next year. The move was made “in the spirit of Christmas".

Meanwhile, the quad-comm was less forgiving of the "injured" Grijaldo, who unlike Villanueva had no-showed the last four hearings despite multiple invitations and medical evaluations indicating he was fit to appear.

Grijaaldo has not shown himself to congressmen since his appearance in the Senate, where he accused two quad-comm co-chairmen Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez and Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. of coercing him to corroborate former PCSO General Manager Royina Garma’s testimony about an alleged reward system for killing drug suspects during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

Fernandez and Abante denied Grijaldo's accusations.

The resource person claimed he was recovering from a “rotator cuff syndrome” operation, but lawmakers expressed skepticism.

Assistant Majority Leader and Taguig City 2nd district Rep. Pammy Zamora, exasperated by Grijaldo’s repeated absences, moved to cite him in contempt.

“Sorry, Mr. Chair. I think we’ve given him, what’s his name? Col. Hector Grijaldo, enough leeway. Sobrang bait na natin sa kanya (We've been very lenient with him) and I think it’s the right time to make an appropriate motion. Sumosobra na siya (This is too much),” Zamora said.

“This is, I believe, his fourth time to skip the quad-comm. Pero sa Senate, wala naman siyang rotator cuff syndrome (He had no rotator cuff syndrome when he was at rhe Senate). I’m sorry, but I really believe it’s high time that with the indulgence of all the chairmen that I move to cite Col. Hector Grijaldo in contempt,” she added.

After Barbers declared the motion as carried, Assistant Majority Leader Lanao del Sur 1st istrict Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong moved that Grijaldo be detained at the House of Representatives’ detention facility until the committee concludes its hearings.

Police Lt. Col. Lionel Garcia, chief of the orthopedic department of the PNP General Hospital, provided an update on the medical status of Grijaldo, who had been confined at a Pasig City hospital.

“Upon checking the patient, the patient is awake, coherent, cooperative, and ambulatory. Upon knowing he underwent shoulder surgery last Dec. 2, one day post-operatively, he underwent physiotherapy bedside post,” Garcia said.

Garcia then told the solons, “On my orthopedic point of view, the patient may be able to attend this hearing but depende po ‘yan kung papayagan siya ng kanyang attending doctor (but that would depend on whether or not his attending doctor would allow it)."

"Hindi po kasi namin nakita ‘yung kanyang medical record, which is hindi kami pinayagan ng hospital (We weren't able to see his medical record, the hospital didn't allow us to)," he added.

Lawmakers expressed doubts over Grijaldo’s justification for his absences.

It was also revealed during the hearing that Grijaldo was facing an administrative case for neglect of duty, which stemmed from his repeated failure to attend legislative hearings.