Vlogger says EJKs a hoax, but fails to present documentary evidence

MANILA, Philippines  — A vlogger claimed that extrajudicial killings (EJKs) related to the drug war are a hoax, but lawmakers from the House of Representatives’ quad committee questioned her for not providing any documentary evidence to back it up.

At the hearing of the House tri-committee on Friday, vlogger MJ Quiambao Reyes was quizzed by Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. about her allegations that EJKs are not true — which she said were based on claims of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s supporters that a woman lied about her son dying during the drug war.

 Abante is one of the four co-chairpersons of the quad committee, that probed alleged abuses in Duterte’s drug war.

READ: 40 socmed users, platform reps invited to House fake news probe   

“I’m going to complete (reading) this: ‘the so-called EJK victims under President Duterte a massive hoax.  Sa akin, mali, I have documents to show’.  Right now you show it, please,” Abante told Reyes.

READ: Vloggers may face contempt if they skip House hearing anew – House reps

“Yes your Honor that is your truth and I also have my truths,” Reyes said. 

“My basis for that was the new information coming out on social media where those allegedly killed in EJK incidents, the parents who showed pictures of their children who died in EJK incidents, were actually not connected to EJK and others are still alive.”

“Did you attend any quad comm hearing?  The (relatives of) EJK victims were there and held a prayer rally.” Abante asked. 

“What’s hard with what you are doing is you are grabbing news items and then you’re going to put up another opinion, you want to let the people believe it’s the truth.”

After Quiambao cited newspaper reports, another quad committee chairperson, Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano asked the vlogger if she has actual copies of the documents, instead of merely relying on articles.

 “Your honor, if I’m not mistaken, nasa newspaper na rin po ‘yan,” Quiambao said.

 “It’s in the newspaper, but what I am asking you is what is the source of that newspaper?  Is it an official document or findings of the Human Rights Commission?  Madam, absolutely not, because during our hearing in the quad comm, all those victims, the families present were confirmed by the Human Rights Commission, in fact we have all the list,” Paduano countered.

Abante noted that aside from the Commission on Human Rights, his own panel — the House committee on human rights — also verified the existence of drug war victims and possible EJKs.

 “My goodness if you would like to be a resource person in this committee, you need to bring a basis.  You have to have a true basis, documents to back your claims because look, the Commission on Human Rights for example, they investigated the alleged EJKs and they saw many incidents, we in our committee on human rights, we also saw several issues,” Abante said.

“But you are saying it’s a massive hoax.  Don’t do this, I want to believe your statement earlier, but what you are saying is not good,” he added.

 In the end, Quiambao admitted that she does not have any document proving that EJKs were a hoax.

“What I am asking you is if you have the document or not?  Yes or no, do you have the document, under oath?  Yes or no?  And remember, I am just asking you if you have the document or not, under oath,” Paduano warned.

“None sir, like I said it’s in the (newspaper),” Quiambao replied.  “(Now I know) next time before we write these issues, we need to get legitimate documents first.”

Quiambao did not mention it, but recently, Duterte supporters criticized a certain Aling Shiela as they believed that one of her sons, Ryan, was not a victim of EJKs in the drug war.

Sheila supposedly raised a photo of her son Ryan during a picture-taking at a press conference on the alleged EJKs committed by the Duterte administration. 

Later on, it was discovered that Ryan actually died in 2024, or two years after Duterte had already stepped down from his presidential post.

But Rubliyn Litao, coordinator of Rise Up for Life and for Rights, said it was Rico, another son of Aling Sheila, and not Ryan, who was killed during the time of the previous administration.

 The tri-committee has been tasked to probe the spread of disinformation online after several resolutions were filed and different privilege speeches about the matter were delivered.

Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers was one of the lawmakers who delivered a privilege speech, after different fake rumors spread about him and the other chairpersons of the House quad committee, which was then probing illegal activities in Philippine offshore gaming operators, the illicit drug trade, and extrajudicial killings in the past administration’s drug war.

According to Barbers, there may be a need to establish a regulatory framework for social media use, just like how mainstream media organizations and legitimate news outlets adhere to a set of ethical standards.