Police Col. Hector Grijaldo Jr. (left), Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (Screenshot from livestream, PPAB)

The entire Hector Grijaldo Jr. episode has taught the chairmen of the House quad-committee a valuable lesson, lead chairman Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said.

That is to be careful whenever talking to or vetting a witness in the ongoing quad-comm hearings.

"Yes it is a lesson learned," Barbers told reporters in a chance interview late Tuesday night, Jan. 21 right after the 14th hearing of the quad-comm was ended.

Appearing before the mega-panel during Tuesday’s marathon hearings was Grijaldo, a police colonel and former Mandaluyong City police chief. 

It was his first appearance at the quad-comm since his controversial testimony at the Senate in late October when he alleged that Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez and Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. tried to coerce him into corroborating former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma’s testimony about an alleged reward system for killing drug suspects during former president Rodrigo Duterte's bloody war on drugs.

Fernandez and Abante, both co-chairmen of the quad-comm, denied the claims and assailed Grijaldo for it.

While the two did talk to Grijaldo in a separate room during a previous quad-comm hearing, they said that no coercion took place.

"Well i think that's a lesson ngayon ano. Wala namang ibang intensyon, wala namang ibang motibo yung aming dalawang kasamahan na kongresista nung kinausap nila [si Grijaldo]," Barbers said.

(Well i think that's a lesson now. Our two congressmen-colleagues had no other intention or motives when they spoke to Grijaldo.)

ALSO READ:

https://mb.com.ph/2025/1/21/quad-comm-twist-fernandez-abante-volunteer-to-be-witnesses-vs-grijaldo

"In fact kinausap lamang nila si Grijaldo (In fact they only spoke with Grijaldo) because it was the request of Colonel Garma...hindi naman si Cong Dan Fernandez and Cong Benny Abante (the request didn't come from Cong Dan Fernandez and Cong Benny Abante)," he pointed out.

Barbers said Garma and Grijaldo used to be classmates. 

He said the quad-comm talks to would-be witnesses as part of their vetting process. Only when witnesses hurdle this process shall they be invited to quad-comm hearings. 

Moving forward, Barbers said all four co-chairmen of the quad-comm could join in screening witnesses, instead of just two.

The other co-chairman is Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen "Caraps" Paduano.