“I think they have the stomach but are they willing is another question.”
This was Senator Leila de Lima’s answer when asked in an interview with Radyo Inquirer Tuesday night if her colleagues have the “stomach” to support her move to conduct a Senate inquiry on the spate of killings in the country.
De Lima, who chairs the Senate committee on justice and human rights, noted that a “handful” of senators had expressed various reasons not to proceed with the investigation.
Some of the senators, she said, had expressed reservations about the Senate probe, saying it was premature or it would just dampen the resolve of the law enforcers to wage war on illegal drugs and other crimes.
She said some were also saying that there was no proof but all allegations of alleged extrajudicial killings.
“That’s why it’s called a Senate inquiry, not a court of law na kailangang may complaint first. Meron ding unang nagsasabi na wala pa raw complaints although meron na, sa CHR (Commission on Human Rights,. Unti-unti nang may nagpa-file, noong una halos wala,” De Lima said.
“So they are setting forth or putting forth various reasons not to proceed with the Senate inquiry. I’m just talking about a handful of senators.”
“I’d like to believe that the majority of the senators would want this Senate inquiry to push through because you know the matter is so important. We have to really scrutinize everything. What’s happening really in the war against drugs. Why are there so many killings?” she added.
De Lima expressed confidence that Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III was supportive of her initiative to probe the killings.
READ: Senate will probe killings, says Koko
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