Duterte defies VP Sara’s appeal to excuse him from hearing

MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte has defied the appeal made by her daughter—Vice President Sara Duterte—that the ex-leader be excused from the House of Representatives’ quad committee hearing as it is already getting late.

When the quad committee hearing on Wednesday was suspended at 9:10 p.m., Vice President Duterte approached lead presiding officer and Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez, Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., and Deputy Speaker David Suarez to discuss something.

READ: Ex-President Duterte shows up at House quad comm drug war hearing

After some time, Barbers asked former President Duterte if he wanted to be excused.

“Mr. President, if you would like to rest […] we can excuse you,” Barbers said.

“No sir, I am willing to sit here and testify until probably 2 in the morning (of Thursday). Hindi ako nagbibiro, kung gusto ninyo, hanggang alas sais (I am not joking, if you want we can go up to 6 a.m.),” Duterte replied.

Barbers and Fernandez then reiterated the quad committee’s offer for former President Duterte to go home and call it a night—and consider the Vice President’s request. However, the older Duterte said he would not listen to her, especially since she is still not a president.

“Mr. President, inaaalala lang po namin ang inyong health, at dahil ito naman po ay hindi pa ho ito ang una’t huling hearing na gagawin natin, and we wanted to make sure na ano ho kayo, kayo po ay healthy (Mr. President, we are just concerned about your health, and because this is not the first and last hearing that we will do, we wanted to make sure that you are healthy.),” Barbers said.

“It would be great for the people to know that I died in your (committee hearing),” Duterte replied.

“Mr. President, (this is) in deference also with the request of the Vice President, she is just concerned about your health, and that’s the reason why the chairmen decided to let you go,” Fernandez said.

“Eh, Vice President lang naman, hindi naman siya Presidente. Maghintay siya kung Presidente siya, maniwala tayo (But she’s just a vice president only, not a president. Let’s wait until she becomes a president, then we will believe her.),” Duterte added.

According to Duterte, he wants to stay because it is expensive for him to travel back and forth to Davao City.

“I come from a far away place, it’s expensive to travel, let us have a continuous hearing, maybe five to 10 days, and each hearing, for me I’m good until two in the morning. I demand that kind of (treatment) because I’m from the province, I am not that rich. Every time that I am summoned here, it’s (a huge) expense, hotel and airfare,” Duterte said.

“Now if we continue with this kind of style I’ll go broke. I am living on my retirement pay, I have no business, ask anyone in Davao, they know. I have no outside source of income except my retirement pay […] so it may be better if I continue the hearing until kingdom come, until this committee will come to a logical and right decision,” he added.

Duterte attended the quad committee hearing after being invited numerous times, to shed light on the alleged human rights violations in his drug war.

The former President has been a central figure in the probe, especially after former police officials delivered shocking testimonies. Previously, retired police colonel Royina Garma claimed that a Davao model—a rewards system—was implemented in the nationwide drug war.

Garma said Duterte called her in May 2016—when he was president-elect—to discuss the creation of a task force which will implement the Davao template on a nationwide scale. The Davao template, Garma said, involved providing cash grants worth P20,000 to P1 million to cops who kill drug suspects.