MANILA, Philippines — House lawmakers on Thursday, October 17, raised concerns over Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa’s call for a Senate inquiry into extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, citing a “clear conflict of interest.”
They argued that the investigation may lack impartiality, given Dela Rosa's and Sen. Bong Go's alleged involvement in carrying out the drug war and the reward system for police officers.
Rep. Dan Fernandez (Santa Rosa, Lone District), one of the House quadcom’s co-chairpersons, said in a statement that Dela Rosa “would be practically investigating himself,” which is “highly inappropriate.”
Drug war architect. This is because Dela Rosa had served as the Philippine National Police chief general who implemented the war on drugs campaign under former President Rodrigo Duterte, he said.
“This undermines the integrity and objectivity of any findings that may result from this investigation,” Fernandez said.
Rep. Bienvenido Abante (Manila, 6th District), chair of the House Committee on Human Rights, said in a press conference on Wednesday that Dela Rosa would be "more biased."
He argued the Senate inquiry should be independent and exclude public officials directly involved in the drug war.
Rep. Arlene Brosas (Gabriela Women’s Party) shared a similar sentiment, emphasizing the accusations made against Dela Rosa by several resource persons at the House mega panel’s hearings on drug-related EJKs.
“Sino ang iimbestigahan niya, sarili niya? (Who will he investigate, himself?)” she said in a statement on Thursday.
Facing accusations. The allegations suggest that Dela Rosa was knowledgeable of the EJKs committed under his leadership and was the one who forced self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa to implicate former Sen. Leila de Lima in the illegal drug trade.
Resource persons have testified that the drug war included a cash reward system for police officers for each drug suspect killed. House lawmakers are investigating the sources of these funds, specifically whether they were drawn from confidential funds or the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
The drug war under Dela Rosa's leadership resulted in extrajudicial deaths of at least 6,000, according to government numbers. However, human rights groups have tallied this figure to reach 30,000.
Brosas added that Dela Rosa’s probe into the EJKs is a “diversionary tactic” and may only whitewash the involvement of those responsible for the extrajudicial killings.
“This planned investigation by Sen. Bato, who himself was accused of playing a central role in Duterte's war on drugs, is nothing but a biased attempt to sanitize their involvement,” she said.
“Investigations in the House and Senate should be in aid of legislation, not in aid of self-preservation,” Rep. Raoul Manuel (Kabataan Partylist) said in a Filipino statement on Wednesday.
Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (Surigao del Norte, 2nd District) had a different perspective on Dela Rosa’s plan to conduct a Senate investigation into the EJKs, despite Dela Rosa being a central figure in orchestrating the drug war.
No problem with parallel inquiry. In an interview with ANC on Thursday, Barbers acknowledged the Senate's authority to conduct a parallel inquiry, noting that there are no legal prohibitions against it.
Barbers, the overall chairman of the House quad committee, clarified that he does not believe Dela Rosa is attempting to "exonerate" himself, emphasizing that the panel is not accusing anyone in its ongoing investigation.
“The quadcom is not accusing anyone, we’re just hearing issues and hearing testimonies coming from all witnesses who wish to share their information on the subject matter that we are deliberating on,” he said.
However, he also asked, “Why would you investigate yourself in your own committee?”
On Wednesday, Dela Rosa denied claims that the inquiry would contradict the House mega panel’s probe into the drug war’s EJKs, saying that he would “stick to the facts, stick to the records.”
A day after Dela Rosa announced his plans, Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Thursday urged all senators to take part in the Senate’s investigation into the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
She proposed that the probe be conducted by the committee of the whole, allowing the participation of all senators rather than limiting it to specific Senate committees.
The House joint committee has invited Dela Rosalucky panda, Go and Duterte to participate in the upcoming public hearings as resource persons, allowing them to present their perspectives and defend against the allegations made against them.
Related Stories
Hontiveros wants all senators to join parallel probe into Duterte's drug war