Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. —PHOTO FROM BENNY ABANTE FACEBOOK
The chair of the House committee on human rights threatened to cite the Philippine National Police officers for contempt, if they continued to take photos of the survivors of those slain in the deadly drug war of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
During the panel’s fourth hearing on Wednesday, Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., the panel’s chair, scolded the police after learning that some of their men were taking photos of the drug war victims and families at the hearing.
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“I am prohibiting any police officers from taking pictures of these victims. Respect this committee,” Abante warned the officers
.Abante directed the committee to provide a holding room for the victims and their families, who testified on Tuesday in a hearing exclusively for them.
Safety and security
Abante earlier assured the victims and their families of their safety and security after they initially expressed fears about testifying before Congress.
Abante told victims that he “fully acknowledges the fears and reluctance that many may feel about coming forward to testify. These fears are real. They have bases.”
Last Tuesday, the panel finally invited former President Rodrigo Duterte, his former police chief, and now Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa to testify at the hearing.
Abante warned that the panel could cite Duterte and Dela Rosa in contempt if they refused to attend the panel’s next hearing.
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Abante said that while the former President could refuse the committee’s invitation, “the only time he could be compelled to come is if he refuses to attend the hearing without explanation … Our members can decide to file a motion for a show cause order (SCO).”
If the former President ignores the SCO, he said, that is when the panel can order his arrest or hold him in contempt.
As for Dela Rosa, Abante argued that he would be questioned not as a sitting senator but as the former chief of the PNP, who was responsible for implementing the drug war. This comes after Dela Rosa claimed he was advised not to attend the hearings and to invoke interparliamentary courtesy.
But “when you speak of interparliamentary courtesy, they can forgo attendance when it comes to the fact that we are investigating something related to their being a senator. But we are investigating the past, he was a director general of the [PNP],” he said during Wednesday’s hearing.
The panel also wants to invite former Sen. Leila de Lima, who was charged with three counts of drug trafficking, all of which were separately dismissed.