House Invites Duterte, De Lima into Inquiry over Previous Admin’s War on Drugs
DUTERTE, DE LIMA – The former President and the former Senator sat beside each other at the House Quad Committee hearing.
In the Philippines, both the Senate and the House of Representatives have launched hearings on the war on drugs of the previous administration. It has been more than two (2) years since the former Chief Executive stepped down from the presidency but the issues surrounding his anti-drugs campaign have yet to be clarified.
At the Senate hearing, the former President admitted that he ordered the cops to encourage the criminals to fight back. He also expressed taking full legal responsibility over his administration’s war on drugs campaign saying that the cops only followed his orders.
The Senate hearing was led by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and presided by Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel. After the hearing, Sen. Koko Pimentel claimed that he is no longer a Duterte supporter and the former President has no influence over him.
According to Pimentel, when he writes a committee report, he bases on the evidence. He stressed that past and present relationships and issues have no merit on the report.
At the Senate inquiry, the former President stressed that he already told the Filipinos before he became the country’s chief executive not to engage in drugs. According to him, he was only doing his job as the president which is to protect the Filipinos and the country.
The House Quad Committee has conducted several hearings already but it was just today when former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte attended the inquiry. The mega panel also invited the staunch critic of the previous admin’s war on drugs, former Senator Leila de Lima.
Duterte and De Lima were seated beside each other at the House Quad Comm hearing. At the Senate inquiry, they were seated one sit apart.
During the House Quad Comm hearing over the war on drugs of the previous administration, former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to come to the Philippines and start the investigation tomorrow.