‘No politics in House hearings’

Jimmy Guban, a witness in a hearing being conducted by a super committee linked the Vice President’s husband and brother to the drug trade. —HREP photo

MANILA, Philippines — Some House leaders dismissed on Monday Vice President Sara Duterte’s accusation of political harassment after a witness in a hearing being conducted by a super committee linked her husband and brother to the drug trade.

Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. asserted that the lower chamber had been investigating the P3.6-billion “shabu” (crystal meth) haul found in Mexico, Pampanga, since last year, when she was still education secretary.

Deputy Speaker David Suarez also reiterated there was nothing political in the inquiry being conducted by the quad committee, whose chairs had stressed they were not “playing politics.”

The quad committee—which is made up of the House panels on dangerous drugs, public order and safety, public accounts and human rights—was formed to look into possible links between Philippine offshore gaming operators and the extrajudicial killings that occurred under former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, syndicated crimes, and other human rights violations.

In Friday’s hearing, former customs agent Jimmy Guban alleged that former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, and Sara’s husband, Manases Carpio, were involved in the illegal drug trade, particularly in the smuggling of P11 billion worth of shabu hidden in magnetic lifters in 2018.

Nothing personal

Gonzales said the hearings were being conducted in a very fair manner, adding, “No witch hunts. No prejudgments. No badgering of witnesses. And documents should match or bolster oral testimonies. And I think we did all that.”

“I think it would be better if the VP just [faced] the issues head-on,” he said. “Why can’t they just face Congress? We have already sent our invites. We will be very fair and they are also entitled to that—presumption of innocence until proven guilty.”

Suarez also said there was nothing personal in the inquiry, pointing out, “Part of our mandate as legislators is to ferret out the truth. Should we shirk from our sworn duty only because the husband and brother of the VP are allegedly involved in the smuggling of illegal drugs?”

Abang Lingkod party list Rep. Joseph Paduano, who chairs the public accounts committee, said they were committed to finding the truth based on evidence, not politics. “If the Dutertes have nothing to hide, they have nothing to fear from our investigation.”

He further advised the Dutertes to “answer the allegations directly instead of resorting to diversionary tactics.”

Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez, head of the committee on public order and safety, stressed the super panel was only “following the evidence,” saying that, “Our mandate is clear: to uphold the law and ensure that justice is served.”