Senate will probe killings, says Koko

SAYING there is no “censorship” in the Senate, presumptive Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III assured on Tuesday that the chamber would act on the proposed legislative inquiry into the rising incidents of killings and summary executions of suspected criminals in the country.

“Sa Senado, the hearing on a bill or a resolution is the judgment call of the committee chairman. So wherever that resolution is referred to, then it’s the judgment call of the committee chairman,” Pimentel said in an interview at the Senate.

“It’s a matter of course, hindi naman dine-debate po ’yan. The referral of a resolution to a committee is not debated on and the decision of the committee chairman to hear it or not is also not debated,” he said.

“Kami dito sa Senado, hindi dapat kami nagse-censor. Pabayaan po namin, let every bill and every resolution reach its own logical conclusion,” he added.

Pimentel made the remarks when sought for comment on how the chamber would treat Senator Leila de Lima’s resolution which seeks a Senate probe into the spate of killings amid President Duterte’s declaration of war against criminality and illegal drugs.

READ: De Lima asks Senate to probe drug slays

After the opening of the 17th Congress on July 25, he said, the Senate Secretary will start reading the bills and resolutions in the plenary for committee referrals.

And he expects De Lima’s resolution to be referred to appropriate committees.

“It will be referred to a committee. Ganoon po ang ating rules, wala po tayong censorship dito sa Senado. All bills and resolutions filed will be processed to their logical conclusion upon the control of the committee chairman,” Pimentel said.

But if somebody is unhappy with the referral, Pimentel said, “that person can object or move for reconsideration.”