Deputy Speaker Quezon 2nd district Rep. David Suarez (left), Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri (Facebook)

House Deputy Speaker Quezon 2nd district Rep. David Suarez chided Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri for supposedly allowing not one, but two hearings on the much-panned "PDEA leaks" probe. 

This was a day after Zubiri told his senator-colleagues to maintain the integrity of inquiries being held by the Senate. 

“I thank and I congratulate Senate President Migz for saying na sana hindi gawing political circus ‘yung hearing. Kaso nakakadalawang hearing na sila eh,” Suarez told a press conference Wednesday, May 8. 

(I thank and I congratulate Senate President Migz for saying that the hearings shouldn't be turned into a political circus. But there have been two hearings already.) 

“Kung talaga ’yon, eh ‘di sana no’ng umpisa pa lang. Kasi alam naman po natin na bago naman talakayin ’to ng mga committees, pag-aaralan muna ’to. Sisiguraduhin muna nila na may substance, sufficient in form, at meron talagang legitimate na basehan para tumuloy,” he said. 

(If that's really the case, then it should have been observed from  the start. Because we know that the gets studied first before it is tackled by the committees. They first determine if it has substance, sufficiency in form, and if there's truly a legitimate reason to continue.) 

The Quezon solon questioned the rationale behind allowing two hearings when there appeared to be a dearth of concrete evidence from the outset. 

He assailed the credibility of lone witness, former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) intelligence officer Jonathan Morales and the origin of the documents used in the probe. 

“Ito po kasing si Morales, well, sino ba siya? Ano bang pinanggalingan niya, ba’t bigla na lang siyang sumulpot?” Suarez asked. 

(Who is this Morales? Where did he come from and why did he suddenly surfaced in the hearings?) 

He said its dangerous to rely on hearsay and unverified documents, and urged for a more discerning approach to legislative investigations. 

"Kaso bakit hinayaan na magkaroon ng dalawang hearings na alam naman natin for the two hearings (But why did we allow the conduct of two hearings that we knew would only have) again, nothing but lies, fabricated truth, uncorroborated statements, no evidence whatsoever to talk of," Suarez stressed. 

Morales claimed to have prepared and signed the documents purportedly revealing the agency’s anti-illegal drug operations targeting then-senator and now President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and actress Maricel Soriano in 2012. 

This, despite PDEA Director General Moro Virgilio Lazo's testimony before Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa’s committee that the documents, including a purported pre-operation report and authority to operate, do not exist. 

Lazo went as far as categorically stating that Morales’ allegations were “fabricated” and “have no basis,” adding that the Senate panel should not rely on testimony from an individual who had previously committed perjury by concealing his dismissal from the Philippine National Police (PNP) during his application to PDEA. 

Dela Rosa is a known ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte, a Marcos administration critic. 

Dela Rosa's colleagues Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Chiz Escudero have recently come out to either criticize Morales or the way the probe has been carried out.