Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Senate’s Committee on Justice and Human Rights. AP FILE PHOTO
The Senate justice and public order committees did away with the testimonies of witnesses from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) at the resumption of their joint hearing on alleged extrajudicial killings amid the government’s war on drug.
This after a heated exchange between justice committee chair Sen. Richard Gordon and Sen. Leila de Lima over Gordon’s tiff with a CHR commissioner who had made statements against him.
At press time, the joint committees of the justice and public order chaired by Gordon and Sen. Panfilo Lacson were hearing testimonies of the Philippine National Police on allegations of extrajudicial killings amid the government’s ongoing war on drugs.
Gordon and De Lima engaged in yet another debate this time over his refusal to hear the explanation of the CHR over Commissioner Roberto Eugenio Cadiz’ statements last Oct.4 where he dared Gordon to proceed with the hearing on extrajudicial killings after the latter suspended it momentarily after he and other senators had heated exchanges with De Lima.
READ: Gordon, De Lima clash anew as hearing on killings resumes
Last Wednesday, Gordon had said he will not call the CHR witnesses until CHR apologizes and castigates Cadiz and Cadiz himself apologizes for his statements.
READ: CHR slams Gordon for suspension of Senate inquiry
In an interview with reporters before the start of the hearing on Wednesday, Gordon also said CHR should issue a statement disassociating itself from Cadiz’ statements.
At the start of the hearing, De Lima asked the committees to hear out CHR Chair Chito Gascon, who was at the hearing, saying it was only “fair and just” to hear out the side of the commission over the “unfortunate statements” of Cadiz.
Gordon interrupted De Lima, saying her time was up, prompting De Lima to move for the committee to allow Gascon to speak up.
She also manifested a second motion this time asking the “propriety for us to tackle” the death penalty bills when she noted there was a lack of the 3-day notice and no motion was made on Wednesday for the discussion of these bills.
“So I raised a point of order and I would want that also decided on by the committee,” she said and Gordon told her she could only make one motion at a time and added “you are out of order.”
“You can’t control (this committee) the way you control it the last time. I don’t want to fight with you. I respect you and I am not going to veer from the purpose of this investigation,” Gordon told De Lima.
He reminded De Lima of what had transpired before, particularly the testimony before them by confessed hitman Edgar Matobato, which he said sent the committee in a “wild goose chase.”
Gordon refused to present Gascon whom he called a friend and instead read the CHR chief’s text message to him.
Quoting Gascon, he said the CHR chief made clear that Cadiz’ statements were “not the position of the en banc and I apologized for whatever aggravation it caused you and the honorable members of the justice and human rights committee.”
Gordon said he talked to Gascon over the phone after the latter had texted him who assured him he will talk to other commissioners.
“The apology of Chairman Gascon is taken in consideration. I respect him as a gentleman. He doesn’t have to apologize to me. The least this guy could do is apologize to himself,” Gordon said.
But he added the point was the CHR was dragged in the incident as he pointed to the Inquirer news story that headlined CHR slammed Gordon.
Gordon said the issue had already come out so there was no need to be “diverted.”
This prompted De Lima repeated her motion for Gascon to speak up to explain his side but Gordon pointed out there was no members around at the hearing.
De Lima then moved to suspend the hearing and Gordon raised her issues with President Rodrigo Duterte. She repeated she had a motion that needed to be addressed and insisted Gordon not to bring up other issues.
“You are the one bringing up (issues)..,” he shot back and called for a vote. But he said there were only three members present — Lacson, De Lima and Manny Pacquiao.
Still Gordon called for a vote, but there was no vote. De Lima then sought to defer the vote.
“The motion is overruled because there is no vote,” he said, but De Lima said she will raise the motion again.
De Lima then repeated her second motion to defer taking up with the death penalty bills for having no three-day notice for the committee members and resource persons.
“The motion is overruled. Let us proceed,” Gordon said, telling De Lima can raise the issue on the floor next time.
De Lima made it clear that the plenary was not the proper forum to raise the issue but Gordon interrupted her, saying she “(has) all the answers, I vow to your brilliance. It is brilliant.
And even if De Lima continued to speak, he interrupted her with a bang of the gavel and said he has “noted” it.
Gordon called on Pacquiao to speak and told De Lima: “you are not recognized anymore.”/RGA