One of the President’s staunchest allies in the Senate called for a halt on bickering over his controversial and bloody antidrug campaign on Wednesday, as Mr. Duterte prepares to embark on his first international trip as the country’s leader.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, in a privilege speech, asked the chamber for a break on the escalating verbal exchanges, which has received growing condemnation from the international community amid a piling body count.
He also asked the Senate to see if it could reach a consensus on the suspension of hearings “that would put the President in a bad light” while he is on an international trip. This was apparently in reference to Sen. Leila de Lima’s ongoing inquiry into the spate of drug-related killings.
Mr. Duterte is set to undertake a three-nation swing through Laos, Brunei and Indonesia from Sept. 4 to 9.
“Maybe we can have a gentleman’s agreement, a gentlewoman’s agreement, when the President is abroad, let’s take care of other issues for the meantime,” Cayetano said.
“Let us act as one in the Senate in deciding certain important matters like how do we help police in terms of giving them more equipment, giving them better pay, and maybe having (committee) chairs who do not have bias,” he said.
Cayetano, the President’s defeated running mate in the May elections, said he has been affected by how the drug campaign has been portrayed in the international media.
He accused De Lima and the Commission on Human Rights of prejudging the President and the police for the extrajudicial slays.
De Lima, chair of the Senate committee on justice and human rights, was not at the Senate session on Wednesday after falling ill. She had to cancel a committee meeting at 1 p.m.