CHR witnesses’ affidavits included in Senate report – Gordon

MANILA — Sen. Richard Gordon assured the Commission on Human Rights on Thursday the joint committee investigating  alleged extrajudicial killings amid the government’s war on drugs would include the affidavits of CHR witnesses in the Senate body’s final report.

Gordon made the assurance at the end of the hearings and after the committees dispensed with the testimonies of the CHR witnesses following Gordon’s tiff with its commissioner, Roberto Eugenio Cadiz.

Gordon then called on CHR Chairman Chito Gascon — who had been at the hearing since it started in the morning — to come over and speak before them. Gordon incidentally called Gascon after Sen. Leila de Lima had already left the hearings.

De lima earlier in the day asked the committees to allow the CHR chair to speak before them over Cadiz’s “unfortunate statements” but her plea was ignored. De Lima and Gordon had a heated exchange anew over this matter.

“I’m not going to ask him (Gascon) to apologize for his commission because he’s not the one who said it,” Gordon said as he added that all the affidavits of the CHR witnesses “will be turned over to the police for proper investigation.”

The justice committee chair said he would include the affidavits in the final report of the committees.

“We did not ignore anybody here,” he said. “I’m just so sorry that that guy, he’s a loose cannon, ” Gordon said of Cadiz.

Speaking before the committee, Gascon said he was “grateful for the opportunity” as he assured the CHR was “always ready and prepared to assist the Senate in ferreting out the truth.”

Gordon then assured all parties concerned that the committees would be fair to all.

Cadiz Jr. earlier accused the senator of “prematurely” suspending the inquiry on extrajudicial killings and called him a “coward.” Gordon said on Thursday that he was no longer demanding an apology from Cadiz as Gascon had called him earlier to apologize on behalf of CHR.  SFM/rga