DAVAO CITY – The Partido Demokratiko Pilipinas-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) firmly denounced the House quad-committee's recommendation to file charges for violation of the Republic Act 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and other Crimes Against Humanity against former President Rodrigo Duterte, Senators Ronald dela Rosa, Christopher Lawrence Go, and others, over the alleged crimes during the war on illegal drugs of the previous administration.
The PDP-Laban said in a statement on Thursday, Dec. 19, that the quad-comm’s move is clearly politically motivated and with no clear legal and evidentiary basis since the testimonies gathered during the hearings were obtained under pressure or coercion.
“During the (House’s quad-comm) hearings, resource persons were always threatened with contempt if they didn’t follow the script of the quad-comm,” the PDP-Laban said, adding that the committee held hearings on the war on drugs with a clear anti-Duterte bias and without due process.
The PDP-Laban said the panel's approach appeared to align with another committee’s probe into Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged misuse of funds, revealing a poorly executed but well-funded effort to discredit Duterte and his allies before the 2025 elections.
The PDP-Laban criticized the quad-comm for rushing its recommendations, noting that the last hearing on the issue was held less than a week ago. This, the party claimed, reflects the committee’s bias against the former Chief Executive and his allies.
The PDP-Laban said the Filipino people recognized the quad-comm’s actions as a charade and are aware of the anti-drug war’s positive impact on their communities. They added that no amount of propaganda can diminish the Duterte administration’s unprecedented anti-crime legacy.
The panel also found former police chiefs Oscar Albayalde and Debold Sinas, retired Police Colonels Royina Garma and Edilberto Leonardo, as well as former Palace Assistant Irmina “Muking” Espino liable of the alleged crime.
Garma accused former President Duterte and his allies of wanting such a Davao model of reward system implemented nationwide. She said the funding for the rewards came from the Palace through Leonardo and Espino, and that the rewards ranged from P20,000 to P1 million.
The quad-comm investigated the deaths linked to Duterte's anti-drugs campaign and the crimes related to the operations of the POGO, which the elder Duterte, who earlier faced them and the Senate, said he takes full drug responsibility for his but he cannot be considered guilty for every suspect killed.
On Wednesday, first congressional district Rep. Paolo Duterte here welcomed any investigation to be conducted by ‘an impartial and credible body’ in response to the quad-committee’s recommendation to further investigate those allegedly involved in war against drugs.
The committee headed by chairperson Surigao del Norte Rep. Ace Barbers recommended further investigation against ex-Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban, Customs middleman Mark Taguba, Rep. Paolo Duterte, Nilo Abellera Jr., Paul Gutierrez, Benny Antiporda, Jojo Bacud, Tita Nanie;
Allen Capuyan, Hong Ming Yang, alias Michael Yang; Wei Xiong Lin, alias Allan Lim; Charlie Tan, and Sammy Uy over alleged drug smuggling;
Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, Jr., Cassandra Li Ong, Guo Hua Ping, alias Alice Leal Guo, former Mayor of Bamban, Tarlac; Yang Jian Xin, alias Tony Yang, and Hongjiang Yang over alleged involvement in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators-linked crimes.
“I have nothing to hide. I remain committed to clearing our name and confident that the truth will expose the baseless nature of these accusations,” Rep. Duterte said in a statement posted on his official Facebook page.