Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel (Facebook)

Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel says the House quad-committee (quad-comm) can prove what he describes as a "grand conspiracy” in the systematic killing of Chinese nationals detained for drug-related offenses during the previous Duterte administration. 

“I believe that there was a great conspiracy emanating from the leader itself all the way down to the small officials," Pimentel said during a recent hearing of the quad-comm. 

To substantiate his claim, Pimentel sought a comprehensive list from the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) of Chinese nationals who died while in detention for drug-related charges during the first year of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte's term. 

“I therefore move that we request the list from BuCor of those Chinese nationals charged for drug trafficking or whatever charges of drugs na namatay during the time of July 2016 up to the year 2017," said the Mindanao lawmaker. 

"Para makita po natin ang pattern, ang systematic killings of Chinese drug lords (This will allow us to see the pattern, the systematic killings of Chinese drug lords)," he said. 

The data is expected to be presented to special four-way panel on Wednesday, Aug. 28. 

Perhaps the biggest revelation so far jn the ongoing quad-comm inquiry was the allegation that Duterte had three convicted Chinese drug lords killed inside the maximum security facility of the Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF) in August 2016. 

Inmates Leopoldo "Tata" Tan Jr. and Fernando "Andy" Magdadaro dropped this bombshell to the utter surprise of Pimentel and his fellow congressmen. 

Pimentel noted that out of 32 Chinese nationals detained for drug offenses, only three were at DPPF, while the other 29 reportedly died in various detention centers. 

“This just shows, Mr. Chair, that there was really a pattern, systematic killing of Chinese drug lords in different detention centers," Pimentel said as he linked these deaths directly to the Duterte administration's anti-drug campaign. 

“It was all over the country. Mahirap po gawin iyon—patayin mo ‘yung mga Chinese nationals na nakalagay sa iba-ibang bilangguan kung wala pong direct approval from the administration," he further claimed. 

(That's difficult to do--to kill the Chinese nationals held at different prisons if there is no direct approval from the administration.) 

Pimentel is a former party-mate of Duterte over at the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) party. He is now with the National Unity Party (NUP). 

According to critics, over 30,000 people were slain in the course of the previous Duterte's infamous war on drugs.