Santa Rosa Rep. Dan Fernandez — Photo from the House of Representatives
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives’ quad committee would not take lightly the claims of Police Col. Hector Grijaldo that lawmakers tried to force him to confirm testimonies about the drug war rewards system, Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez said on Tuesday.
In a press briefing, Fernandez said Grijaldo and Sen. Ronald dela Rosa were on “script” when the police officer made the claims at Monday’s Senate drug war probe.
“Well, that’s their script, it’s up to them. Well, he should uphold what he said and its possible repercussions because for me, we will not take that sitting down. Of course, he said in his affidavit that he was coerced and harassed. That’s a huge accusation. And now we will do something, and this will be collective,” Fernandez told reporters.
“I mean, not me, not him (Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr.), but the whole of the quad comm. Because the integrity of the quad comm is at stake here. And we have done nothing wrong,” he added.
At the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on Monday, Grijaldo claimed that a security official asked him to go out of the quad committee’s hearing room last October 22 to meet Fernandez and Abante.
According to Grijaldo, Fernandez supposedly brought out the supplemental affidavit of retired police colonel Royina Garma, where she confirmed the existence of the Davao Death Squad (DDS), a hit team supposedly organized by former President Rodrigo Duterte when he was Davao City mayor.
Grijaldo said it appeared that Fernandez and Abante wanted him to corroborate Garma’s testimonies, but he declined as he had no knowledge of Garma’s claims.
Fernandez explained the meeting happened, but only because Garma named Grijaldo as another police officer knowledgeable of her testimonies on the DDS and the rewards system.
The lawmaker also said they did not need Grijaldo’s testimony as Garma’s statement and the assertions of other individuals were already substantive.
“In Congress, we talk to witnesses. And then once we know that we can validate what they say, the lawyers will come out. So that time, Grijaldo did not have a lawyer, the lawyers present were Garma’s. And that’s the reason why we asked the two lawyers to accompany us so that the discussions would be at least transparent,” Fernandez explained.
“Because otherwise, if at the first chance we would coerce them, we would not as we know they would come back at us. We’re not like that. And you have to remember that we have a lot of evidence already … it was corroborated. Actually, these issues did not start with Col. Garma, it started with the two persons deprived of liberty, corroborated by Jimmy Fortaleza and Warden [Gerardo] Padilla,” he added.
Fernandez was referring to the killing of three Chinese nationals in the Davao Prison and Penal Farm, where Garma and Corrections S/Supt. Padilla were supposedly involved.
READ: Ex-prison head does a 180: Garma called me over ops vs slain Chinese
According to Fernandez, he believes this is merely a “demolition job” against the quad committee.
“Second, it’s an attack against me, against you (Abante) and most likely they really wanted to discredit the whole of the quad comm. And it’s quite unfair to all the members of the quad comm, especially the chairman,” Fernandez added.
During the Senate hearing on Monday, Dela Rosa criticized the quad committee for supposedly coaching Grijaldo toward a pre-conditioned direction.
“You’re being deprived of your right to explain yourself, that’s why you were being coached and asked to say, like ‘can you testify here, or to this paragraph?’ So that’s very inappropriate, that’s very irregular for a lawmaker making an investigation in aid of legislation to make that kind of approach to a resource person where they seem to force the individual,” Dela Rosa said.
“It seems that they have a preconceived goal where they need to hit something, that’s why they guide your statement. Am I correct?” he asked.
“Yes, your Honor,” Grijaldo replied.
READ: Bato: Senate probe gives witnesses chance to answer
Grijaldo, however, admitted to blue ribbon panel presiding officer and Minority Leader Koko Pimentel that he did not issue an affidavit before the House.
Garma’s testimony during the House quad committee hearing last October 22 was about the existence of the DDS, which was supposedly common knowledge among police officers.
READ: Garma claims DDS’ existence ‘common knowledge’ among cops
But Duterte, during the Senate hearing, denied Garma’s claims. According to the former president, he does not understand why Garma is lying.
Duterte also said initially that he created a seven-man hit squad in Davao City, tasked to go after those who commit heinous crimes.
READ: Duterte disputes Garma’s claims on drug task force directive: ‘Liar’
READ: Duterte admits to having ‘death squad,’ later insists it’s not one