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Pimentel: No need to invite Duterte to next hearings of Senate drug war probe

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RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — Senate Minority Leader Aquilino &quot;Koko&quot; Pimentel III, who is <span id="isPasted" style="caret-color:rgb(65, 65, 65);color:rgb(65, 65, 65)">Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee chair, said he does not see a need to invite former President Rodrigo Duterte to future hearings on his administration&#x27;s war on drugs.</span></p><p>Duterte, flanked by allies, made a rare appearance at the Senate on Monday to talk at length about the bloody anti-narcotics campaign and defend the tactics used in its implementation, where police acknowledge more than 6,000 deaths of suspected drug personalities who allegedly violently resisted arrested.</p><p>&quot;I asked the last time, any more questions for the former president. Ang sagot, wala na. (They said they had none) So why invite again?&quot; Pimentel told ABS-CBN News in a text message.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/30/lalaking-pumatay-umano-sa-tiyuhin-noong-2007-timbog-sa-tondo-1147">READ: &#x27;Mga pahayag ni Duterte sa Senado maaaring magamit sa ICC&#x27;</a></div><p>The senator said he has been ignoring criticism over his handling of the hearing, where Duterte was given leeway to make side comments and use swear words.</p><p>&quot;Invited siya as a resource person. So dapat pakinggan. Former president [siya] na nag implement ng war on drugs. So dapat pakinggan. Meron din siyang mga ideas sa mga problema ng pulis. Kaya dapat din pakinggan,&quot; he said, adding the public has to accept that Duterte is the way he is.</p><p>(He was invited as a resource speaker, so he needed to be heard. He is the former president who implemented the drug war, so he needed to be heard. He also had ideas about problems with the police, so he needed to be heard)</p><p>He added that the failure of retired police official Royina Garma and former National Police Commission commissioner Edilberto Leonardo meant there was more time for Duterte to speak.</p><p>The sub-committee will issue subpoenas to Garma, Leonardo and others who skipped the hearing.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/19/duterte-denies-cash-reward-system-in-war-on-drugs-1641">• Duterte denies cash reward system in war on drugs</a></div><p>Pimentel said there was a benefit in giving Duterte all the leeway to talk.</p><p>&quot;All I can say is we have a lot of material which we will be making available to the Filipino people who are interested,&quot; he said.</p><div><strong>ESCUDERO: KOKO DID WELL</strong></div><p>On Tuesday, Senate President Francis Escudero also saw no fault in giving a lot of time to Duterte.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/28/drug-war-protest-1933">PHOTO: Victims protest as Duterte faces Senate hearing</a></div><p>&quot;In fact, medyo matagal-tagal bago nabigyan ng pagkakataon na makapagsalita si Dating Pangulong Duterte. Kung saka-sakali, mas malaking oras ang dapat na ibigay sa mga resource person na magpahayag ng kanilang opinyon o sumagot sa mga katanungan mula sa mga senador,&quot; Escudero said.</p><p>(In fact, former President Duterte did not get to speak immediately. If anything, resource persons should have more time to give their opinions or answer senators&#x27; questions)</p><p>Escudero defended Pimentel — his choice to lead the probe —  from the criticism, saying the former Senate president &quot;did a good job more than what I have expected.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/29/duterte-statements-at-senate-probe-can-be-used-to-file-cases-escudero-diokno-1442">• Duterte statements at Senate probe can be used to file cases: Escudero, Diokno</a></div><p>Pimentel did say that the panel will have another hearing though there is no schedule yet as they want to first make sure that Garma and Leonardo will attend.</p><div><strong>EJERCITO: SENATE DRUG WAR HEARINGS CAN NOW END</strong></div><p>Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito meanwhile said he believes that there is already enough material to end the hearings and let government agencies do their jobs. </p><p>&quot;All of these political bickerings are not helping on our direction,&quot; he said of the hearings that relatives of victims of alleged extrajudicial killings see as a chance for justice for slain loved ones.</p><p>&quot;Sayang yung productive years sana natin. &#x27;Di bale na yung one year na political bickerings. At least may five years tayong productive eh. Ngayon, two and a half pa lang. Nagsimula na. Nangihinayang ako,&quot; Ejercito told the Kapihan sa Senado. </p><p>(It&#x27;s a waste of our productive years. Never mind if it is just one year of political bickering, at least we would have had five years of being productive. But now, it has only been two and a half years and it has already started. I feel it is a waste)</p><p>He also said that even Escudero does not want to prolong the hearings.</p><p>Sens. Ronald &quot;Bato&quot; Dela Rosa and Christopher &quot;Bong&quot; Go had floated the idea of parallel hearings to counteract those at the House, where they have been implicated in alleged irregularities in the drug war.</p><div><strong>EJERCITO COMMENDS HOW DUTERTE TOOK RESPONSIBILITY OF DRUG WAR</strong></div><p>Ejercito also said he believes Duterte&#x27;s pronouncement taking full responsibility for his drug war is commendable.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/28/duterte-takes-full-responsibility-for-war-on-drugs-1429" id="isPasted" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(93, 155, 192);text-decoration:none;user-select:auto;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)">IN PHOTOS: Duterte takes full responsibility for &#x27;war on drugs&#x27; during Senate probe</a></div><p>&quot;So, subject of debates whether yung kanila pong diskarte, eh tama o mali, no? Yung mga revelations during that hearing, it&#x27;s up already to the [Department of Justice] and other concerned agencies on how they will process if there is already enough basis for the filing of cases,&quot; he said.</p><p>Ejercito said wasn&#x27;t exactly shocked by the former leader&#x27;s statements at the hearing, saying Duterte already said the same things in the past.</p>

<p>Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, who is Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee chair, said he does not see a need to invite former President Rodrigo Duterte to future hearings on his administration's war on drugs.</p>

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, who is Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee chair, said he does not see a need to invite former President Rodrigo Duterte to future hearings on his administration's war on drugs.