Reelected Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. has reassured Filipinos on Wednesday, July 9 of the return of the House quad-committee (quad-comm) in the current 20th Congress.

"Yes, definitely [quad-comm will return]," Abante told reporters during his first interview at the House of Representatives after securing a fresh term during the May 2025 elections.

Incidentally, Abante is the sole survivor from the original four co-chairmen of the quad-comm in the previous 19th Congress.

"Ito yung 'Young Guns' natin o (Here are our 'Young Guns')," the Manila solon said, pointing to the members of the clique who accompanied him. It's as if Abante was pointing to the heirs of the vacant posts of the quad-comm.

Accompanying Abante Wednesday at the bills and index section were Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro, La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega, Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun, and Cagayan de Oro 1st district Rep. Lordan Suan.

Then-Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, overall chairman of the quad-comm in the 19th Congress, had earlier announced that there would be a "quad-comm version 2.0".

Suffice it to say that Abante is raring to get the proceedings started. "Ang dami pang dapat pag-usapan. Ang dami pang dapat puntuhan natin dito (They are still a lot to discuss. There are still a lot to revisit)."

Abante cited in particular the issues on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) and illegal drugs.

Initially formed in August 2024, the quad-comm held a total of 15 marathon hearings on the alleged interconnected issues of POGOs. extrajudicial killings (EJKs), money-laundering, illegal drugs, and former president Rodrigo Duterte's bloody war on drugs. 

The highest profile witness or resource person who attended the series of marathon hearings held by the joint panel was ex-president Duterte himself.

Endlessly monetized by enterprising vloggers, the quad-comm hearings gave it's share of viral moments, and at its height was akin to a highly-rated television drama.

On Wednesday, Abante and the Young Guns refiled two measures from the previous Congress that were crafted as a result of the original quad-comm's findings.

These are the Civil Forfeiture bill, which seeks to reclaim illegally acquired land by foreign nationals, and the Anti-Extrajudicial Killing bill, which seeks to criminalize and punish EJKs as heinous crimes.

“These measures are meant to correct long-standing wrongs, evils that were uncovered during our marathon quad-comm hearings in the 19th Congress. No one is above the law—not those who violate the Constitution for profit, and certainly not those who commit murder in the name of law enforcement," Abante said.

The proposed Civil Forfeiture Act aims to provide a legal basis for the State to seize lands unlawfully acquired by foreign nationals, particularly those tied to POGOs that used falsified documents and corrupt networks to skirt constitutional land ownership prohibitions.

"The Constitution is clear: only Filipinos can own land. But what we’ve seen is a systematic subversion of this provision—engineered by foreign nationals and enabled by local collaborators,” the Manila solon said.

“This bill ensures that stolen land is returned to the people and used for public good—whether for housing, agriculture, or community services.”

The Anti-Extrajudicial Killing Act, on the other hand, seeks to define EJKs under Philippine law and impose life imprisonment on public officials or state agents who commit or order such killings. It also presumes administrative negligence on the part of local executives and public safety officers in areas where EJKs persist despite sufficient peace and order budgets.

“Impunity ends when accountability begins. This measure classifies EJKs as heinous crimes and ensures that a title, a uniform, or a badge can shield perpetrators from justice,” said Abante.

The bill also proposes the creation of an Extrajudicial Killing Claims Board under the Commission on Human Rights to investigate claims and provide monetary reparations to victims’ families.