Duterte, Dela Rosa to be informed about next House hearing on EJKs in drug war

MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte and his then police chief, incumbent Senator Ronald dela Rosa, will be informed by the House of Representatives committee on human rights about the next hearing on the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in the past administration’s drug war.

The assurance was made by the committee chairperson and Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. during the hearing on Wednesday.

“What I can promise, Congressman (Raoul) Manuel, is that we will be informing again Senator dela Rosa on the next hearing, and if he would like to attend, sabihin na natin do’n na (let him know on the invite that) if you would like to come, you are welcome,” Abante said.

“We are also going to inform, para sa ikagagalak ni (to please) Congressman Manuel, we’re going to inform the former president on this hearing. Okay?” he added.

READ: CHR willing to work with ICC on PH drug war probe

Abante said he would inform Duterte and dela Rosa that they are welcome to attend the hearing, but it will be up to them if they will show up — as a sign of respect for them — as dela Rosa is a sitting member of Congress and Duterte is a former president.

“‘Pag na-inform siya, eh nasa kanya na ‘yon kung pupunta siya o hindi (When we inform them, that is up to them if they will attend or not).  But I would like to give full respect to the former president.  Although he might not be exempt from this investigation, yet I think we should give full respect to the former president being a public official also,” Abante said.

“So we’re going to inform the former president on this,” he added.

Manuel’s appeal

Abante’s move to invite Duterte and dela Rosa stemmed from Kabataan party-list Rep. Manuel’s appeal, as the latter believes the two past administration officials’ testimonies and answers are key to the hearings on the alleged EJKs.

Manuel said this after questioning the Command Memorandum Circular (CMC) No. 16 series of 2016, which operationalized the Duterte administration’s drug war.  According to Manuel, Duterte should have clarified the vague or unclear portions of the CMC, with regards to anti-drug operations.

“Mr. Chair, it is stated here, for the reference for the Project Double Barrel, it is listed here the documents used as bases but on top is a Part A, pronouncement of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to get rid of illegal drugs during the first six months of his term,” Manuel told former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea, who was present in the hearing.

“Yes, he said that, sinabi naman niya let’s fight illegal drugs and let’s do it within the bounds of law.  Wala, ‘yon lang ho (That’s it),” Medialdea replied.

“Because this implies, Mr. Chair, that in cases where there is confusion or misunderstanding among police officers regarding the implementation, in parts where the command memorandum circular, the reference of law enforcement agencies would be supposedly, the pronouncement of the President,” Manuel added.

With Duterte being considered as a reference, Manuel believes the former president should be present to answer the questions.

“That’s why, Mr. Chair, we think that aside from our police officers […] we think there are questions that our agencies cannot answer alone, as it involves the former president as well,” Manuel said.

“That’s why in addition to our view that former PNP (Philippine National Police) chief Ronald dela Rosa should be invited, we think it is timely to invite former president Rodrigo Duterte as he is no longer an incumbent official, he’s a civilian, and if even if he has to answer to other committees as well, he should attend because he is the primary reference in the CMC,” he added.

The hearing on Wednesday is the House panel’s second, after starting its probe on the alleged EJKs last May 21. Earlier, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno said that an Office of the President year-end report in 2017 listed the killing of 20,322 drug war-related deaths from July 1, 2016, to November 27, 2017, as an accomplishment.

Diokno said this was cited in a Supreme Court en banc resolution last April 2018.

READ: Diokno: Duterte’s OP listed 20,322 drug-war deaths as accomplishments

While many praised the Duterte administration for addressing the country’s drug menace, it was also criticized for being too bloody, and with innocent civilians — including minors — being killed.

In August 2017, 17-year-old Kian delos Santos was killed despite not being the original target of the anti-drug operation in Caloocan City.  He was shot point-blank even if camera footage showed him pleading for his life.

READ: 3 policemen guilty of killing Kian delos Santos — court

Two days before Kian was killed, 19-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz and 14-year-old Reynaldo de Guzman’s bodies were found in different areas – Arnaiz at a funeral in Caloocan City, and de Guzman in a creek in Nueva Ecija.

READ: Caloocan cop found guilty for ‘drug war’ deaths of two teens

Similar cases were used as the basis for the filing of complaints against Duterte and other drug war implementers before the International Criminal Court.