Escudero: The accused have rights, too

Senate President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero —Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Francis Escudero on Saturday said there was nothing wrong if Senators Christopher “Bong” Go and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa would use the looming Senate investigation of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly crackdown on narcotics as a venue to answer the allegations against them.

“For me, Senators [Dela Rosa] and Go have both the right and duty to express their views, give their side and defend themselves,” Escudero said in a radio interview.

The Senate leader maintained his colleagues should not be compelled to attend the ongoing House quad committee’s inquiry into Duterte’s war on drugs in deference to the inter-parliamentary courtesy between the two chambers of Congress.

READ: Duterte to be summoned to Senate-led drug war probe, says Bato

Inter-chamber courtesy

The super House panel, composed of the committees on dangerous drugs, public order and safety, public accounts and human rights, has been conducting joint hearings on extrajudicial killings, drug war deaths and crimes related to the Philippine offshore gaming operators.

“Since there’s an inter-chamber courtesy, what’s the problem if they will use the Senate as a venue and forum to air their side?” Escudero said.

“When you mention the word ‘use,’ it may sound negative outright. But for me, it’s not negative,” he added.

Witnesses who had testified before the House four-panel body named both Go and Dela Rosa, regarded as two of Duterte’s most trusted lieutenants, as among the government officials who were complicit in the abuses that marred the government’s campaign to rid the country of the drug scourge.

Retired police colonel and former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office General Manager Royina Garma claimed that Go, then the Special Assistant to the President, knew that Duterte had paid policemen as much as P1 million to kill drug suspects.

Give a chance

On the other hand, confessed drug lord Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa said Dela Rosa, who became the first enforcer of Duterte’s brutal war on drugs when he was appointed chief of the Philippine National Police in 2016, had threatened him to implicate several personalities in the illegal drug trade, including then Sen. Leila de Lima.

According to Escudero, he would be meeting with Go and Dela Rosa on Saturday night to iron out certain matters on the proposed Senate probe.

He stressed that it would be best to let the Senate blue ribbon committee, headed by Sen. Pia Cayetano, handle the motu proprio investigation since the Congress was still in recess.

Escudero said the Senate justice and human rights committee, chaired by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, may take over the proceedings when the chamber resumes its regular session on Nov. 4.

Go filed a resolution on Thursday asking the Dela Rosa-led Senate dangerous drugs and public order committee to conduct the probe.

“They both acknowledge that they should not lead the investigation because of conflict of interest and it would be seen as self-serving. But they are free to participate in the proceedings,” Escudero said.

Dela Rosa, meanwhile, said he would still try to convince Escudero and his colleagues that Go’s resolution should be referred to his committee.

“I will fight for my committee [to handle the investigation] even if they say that it would only be self-serving,” the senator said in a separate radio interview.

“Just give me a chance to show the public how fair we will be in conducting the hearing. I have no hidden agenda. Our only agenda is to ferret out the truth,” he said.