HEARING TO BRING JUSTICE, HEALING: Sen. Risa Hontiveros welcomes the Blue Ribbon subcommittee investigation on the Philippine War on Illegal Drugs Monday, October 28, 2024. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — “This is not a laughing matter.”
This was said by opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros when she rejected attempts to turn the Senate’s drug war probe into a laughing stock on Monday.
Hontiveros’ comment came after Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada jokingly asked why former President Rodrigo Duterte was not panning his head towards his left.
“Hindi ho kayo tumingin sa kaliwa. Nagpapansinan na ba ho kayo ni [ex] Sen. Leila de Lima?” asked Estrada.
(It seems like you are not looking towards the left. Are you and Leila de Lima now on good terms?)
Duterte was seated only one seat apart next to de Lima.
De Lima, a staunch critic of Duterte, was accused of being involved in the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison and arrested in 2017.
Last June 24, the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court acquitted her in the last drug-related case filed against her by the Duterte administration.
READ: De Lima acquitted in last drug case
For his part, Duterte played off Estrada’s remarks and replied, “Wala [na]mang maganda riyan, dito lang (There’s no one beautiful over there, just here).”
At this point, Hontiveros quickly interjected, ending attempts to make the inquiry a laughing matter.
“Lead us in setting the tone. This is not a laughing matter,” she said, insinuating that the Senate’s second top official should take heed in setting an example during the hearing.
Estrada then said he was only trying to lighten the mood.
The Senate on Monday launched its investigation into the Philippine war on illegal drugs.
Led by Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel III, the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee focused on the Duterte administration’s brutal anti-drug campaign dubbed as Oplan Tokhang.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency listed 6,252 dead in anti-drug police operations from July 1, 2016, to May 31, 2022.
A 2017 year-end report attributed to the Office of the President, however, listed more than 20,000 dead in the first 17 months of the Duterte administration.