MANILA, Philippines — Despite criticisms that lawmakers have allegedly abused their power and are merely interested in politicking, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers has maintained that the quad-committee’s end goal is to propose new laws and amend existing ones.
Barbers in an interview on Tuesday explained that they only have been following evidence provided to the quad-committee, noting that politics do not play a part in their proceedings.
Also, the lawmaker told the public to refrain from voting for any member of the quad-committee in the next elections if they do not come up with a committee report that outlines the laws and provisions needed by the country.
READ: Harry Roque told: ‘Flight is often an indication of guilt’
“There were around 10 proposed legislation mentioned by Congresswoman Gerville Luistro, and you will see in our committee report what our proposed legislation are,” Barbers said.
“Do not support any member of the quad-comm in the next elections if you cannot see any proposed legislation there, because our goal here is in aid of legislation. We have seen different bills that we can propose,” he added.
According to Barbers, among the bills that would be filed is a formal proposal to ban Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos).
READ: Duterte ordered killing of 3 Chinese men in 2016, hitman claims
‘One of our proposals’
“That is one of our proposals, because why would we legalize something that is illegal? This originates from China, but China has considered this industry as an illegal gaming industry. Why are we legalizing it here?” he asked.
“So here in our proposal, we would maintain that these kinds of offshore gaming operations are not allowed,” he added.
Barbers also touched on the killing of three Chinese nationals in August 2016, while they were inmates at the Davao Penal and Prison Farm—an issue thoroughly discussed by the quad-committee.
As self-confessed hitman Leopoldo Tan claimed that they were directed by police officers, with Bureau of Corrections officials allegedly conniving to conduct the hit, Barbers said a system which limits human interactions may be needed.
“For EJK (extrajudicial killings), we know what happened because apparently based on the testimony of the two PDLs (persons deprived of liberty) which we allowed to testify before the quad-comm, there is a plan where the warden, the assistant warden, and inmates are privy to. So what are the laws that we should craft to avoid a repeat of this incident?” Barbers said.
“Number one we are looking at proposing a bill where there would be less human intervention in managing our jails to avoid a repeat of this incident where individuals were used so that killers could penetrate. Number two, if the inmate is a foreign national — because our victims here are three Chinese who were convicted for importation of illegal drugs — maybe we should not mix them with Filipinos because locals can be ordered to execute them,” he added.
Tan claimed that he heard then Davao Penal Farm warden and current Corrections S/Supt. Gerardo Padilla talked to former president Rodrigo Duterte after the hit, wherein the former leader extended his congratulations. Padilla eventually confirmed this to the quad-committee.
To combat the illegal drug trade, Barbers said a modern system in securing the country’s borders, to prevent the importation of illicit substances, will also be proposed.
“For drugs maybe, we know that the illegal substance comes from ports, seaports or airports, or some say that because our country is an archipelago, our borders are very porous. Maybe we should have a program where we could monitor our islands,” he said.
In aid of legislation?
Questions on whether the quad-committee hearing is still in aid of legislation were raised by past administration allies, including no less than former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.
In a Facebook live on Monday, Roque cited jurisprudence—particularly about a case between former president Corazon Aquino’s relatives and Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez’ father, former ambassador Benjamin Romualdez—where congressional hearings ceased because it was mere politicking.
“The court said that a particular hearing was not in aid of any legislation, there is no law being created, they just want to paint Aquino’s relatives as corrupt. So the court said that because it is not in aid of legislation, the investigation must not continue,” Roque said.
“Even if they (quad-committee) does not have a law being crafted, they continue to malign the Duterte family […] that is not proper, I used to be a lawmaker too, I have high regard for the institution, but what new law are they crafting? Is there a new bill that should be filed?” he asked.
Roque was invited by the quad-committee due his alleged links to Lucky South 99, the Pogo hub in Porac, Pampanga that was raided for human trafficking issues.
According to authorities, documents bearing Roque’s signature were found by authorities during the raid. Eventually, Roque admitted later on that he accompanied Katherine Cassandra Li Ong, an incorporator of Whirlwind Corporation that leased land to Lucky South 99, to settle fees with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
Initially, Roque attended the hearings, but he was cited for contempt by the quad-committee for a second time after he skipped the hearings last September 12 and refused to comply with a subpoena on key documents, like his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, and other tax declarations.