ENDEAVOR
From August to mid-December, the Quad Comm hearings at the House of Representatives have garnered high public attention. Manila Bulletin’s live-stream coverage videos on YouTube are witnessed by a huge audience, breaching the million mark several times. By the time the committee rendered a report on its accomplishments last Dec. 13, Quad Comm had become a household byword.
Quad Comm consists of four committees — dangerous drugs, human rights, public order and safety and public accounts — headed by Representatives Robert ‘Ace’ Barbers, Bienvenido Abante, Jr., Dan Fernandez and Joseph ‘Caraps’ Paduano, respectively.
The joint committee hearings were prompted by a privilege speech of Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales, Jr. on Aug. 5, 2024, following the apparent links in the investigations into the ₱3.6 billion worth of shabu seized in Mexico, Pampanga, ₱1.3 billion worth of shabu discovered in Mabalacat City, Pampanga, and the illegal activities linked to POGOs.
The Quad Comm’s mandate was to conduct a comprehensive joint investigation into the possible connection between illegal Philippine offshore gambling operators (POGOs), illegal drugs, extrajudicial killings (EJKs) and human rights violations that were allegedly committed during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
In aid of legislation, Rep. Gonzales reported the filing of four House Bills (HBs) as an offshoot of key findings from the hearings, namely: (1) HB 10986, “Classifying EJK (Extra Judicial Killing) as a Heinous Crime”; (2) HB 10987, “Anti-Offshore Gaming Operations Act”; (3) HB 10998, “Espionage Law of 2024”; (4) HB 11043, “Civil Forfeiture Act”; and (5) HB 11117, “Fraudulent Birth Certificate Cancellation Law.”
One of the important outcomes of the fact-finding hearings was the Quad Comm’s recommendation to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on the filing of charges under Section 6 of Republic Act 9851, known as the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity.
In its 43-page progress report, the Quad Comm recommended the filing of crimes against humanity charges against Duterte, along with Senators Christopher Lawrence Go and Ronald Dela Rosa, as well as other police officials former Philippine National Police chiefs Oscar Albayalde and Debold Sinas, Colonels Royina Garma and Edilberto Leonardo, as well as Palace aide Herminia “Muking” Espino, for their supposed roles in the bloody anti-narcotics campaign.
According to Quad Comm chair, Surigao del Norte Rep. Barbers, Duterte, during its Nov. 13 hearing, admitted key elements of his administration's drug war, including the existence of the so-called Davao Death Squad and the Davao template of reward system for police officers involved in EJKs. He added that Duterte assumed “full legal responsibility” for the deadly war against illegal drugs.
The proverbial “tip of the iceberg” on the massive drug operations during the Duterte administration was narrated by Rep. Romeo Acop, a former PNP general. He shed light on a “A Tale of Two Shipments,” featuring the arrival in the country in 2017 of metal cylinders containing ₱6.4-billion worth of illegal drugs and the shipment in 2018 of magnetic lifters containing ₱3.4 billion worth of illegal drugs. The two shipments both arrived at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) and allegedly involved some personalities closely linked to senior government officials in the Duterte administration.
High drama characterized the hearings when former President Duterte finally showed up last Nov. 13 and figured in heated exchanges with former Senator Sonny Trillanes while seated beside former Justice Secretary and Senator Leila de Lima. Recall that during Duterte’s watch, De Lima was detained for seven years in Camp Crame since 2017 and deprived of the opportunity to actively serve in the Senate, while fending off a series of drug-related charges from which she has since been cleared.
Trillanes recalled his efforts to ascertain the veracity of reports attributed to the Anti-Money Laundering Council that, according to him, were validated in an investigation conducted by then Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang. The audit trail was discontinued after Carandang was dismissed from his position during the Duterte administration.
At one point, both Duterte and Trillanes exchanged heated words that escalated until the proverbial cooler heads restrained the protagonists.
During the same hearing, Duterte came face to face anew with parents, spouses and survivors of extrajudicial killings, most prominent among which were those represented by Fr. Flaviano ‘Flavie’ Villanueva of the Society of the Divine Word. Fr. Villanueva established the St. Arnold Janssen Kalinga Center in Tayuman, Manila, Philippines, in July 2015, to help the poor and the homeless. One of its programs is the Paghilom (healing) program for widows and orphans, and for the healing and rebuilding of the EJK victims’ family members.
Two mothers testified on the brutal circumstances surrounding the deaths of their children in Oplan Tokhang forays of the Philippine National Police. They are among those being supported by Fr. Flavie’s apostolate.
Two separate killings have also been highlighted; the Quad Comm recommended, too, that the DOJ the file murder charges arising from these. First, the alleged “rubout” of three persons, namely, Chu Kin Tung, Jackson Lee, and Peter Wang, Chinese nationals jailed for drug-related cases. Second, the ambush slaying of retired police general and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga in broad daylight in Mandaluyong City. The latter slaying was allegedly perpetrated by former PCSO general manager Garma and resigned Napolcom commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, as testified to by Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza of the Police Drug Enforcement Group.
Another closely-watched portion of the hearings was the testimony of former Iloilo City Mayor Jed Mabilog who came home after seven years of self-exile in the United States. He said he was constrained to “escape” due to threats to his life and his family’s safety. He surmised that he incurred the ire of Duterte after the latter failed to stage a pre-election rally in Iloilo City in the 2016 elections.
Truly, the House of Representatives provided high-drama action during the last five months. Another much-anticipated event would be how the House will deal with three impeachment complaints that have been filed against Vice President Sara Duterte in connection with her alleged misuse of confidential funds during her concurrent tenure as DepEd secretary.
Speculations are rife on possible impeachment case scenarios that may materialize before the start of the 2025 election campaign — or after the senatorial election results would have tipped the scales more heavily in favor of conviction. Many pundits believe that delayed action would favor the Dutertes, but their projections are being contradicted by those who believe that the election results would be more favorable to the Marcos camp.
Abangan.
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