Escudero on House-Senate joint probe: Tempting but no provisions for it

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero —Niño Jesus Orbeta

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Francis Escudero has admitted that the idea of having a joint Senate and House of Representatives hearing on alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) committed during the past administration is tempting.

Escudero however, in a statement on Monday, admitted that there is no provision in the rules of the Senate for a joint investigation.

“While tempting… Unfortunately, we have no provision in our rules providing for such a ‘joint investigation’,” he said.

The Senate President’s reaction came after Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said that he thinks it will be better if the House and the Senate launches a joint investigation of the alleged EJKs, for a more comprehensive and quicker action.

READ: Conduct joint House, Senate probe into drug war killings – Barbers

In a press briefing earlier, Barbers said he is proposing this to show that the investigation of the House quad committee regarding the EJKs supposedly done during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte, is impartial.

Barbers chairs the House committee on dangerous drugs, while also being lead presiding officer of the quad committee.

READ: Duterte ordered killing of 3 Chinese men in 2016, hitman claims

“In fact, it would be better if we would have another parallel investigation because there is no prohibition about this, according to our rules. And because there will be a parallel investigation, we do expect that the lower House and the Senate are in sync in these talks about EJK. We really have to come up with a law to stop extrajudicial killings,” he said.

“We will have to propose that, and wait for what the Senate President and the Speaker of the House can say about this. It was just an idea that we are looking into, for people to say that our investigation is impartial, because all of us Filipinos condemn the killings,” he added.

According to Barbers, the House and the Senate can jointly convene just like bicameral conference committees tackling bills passed by the two Houses of Congress. In this manner, Barbers said that bills will be discussed faster, and intelligent questions can be asked.

The House quad committee investigations started last August 16, in an out-of-town hearing in Bacolor, Pampanga. By the second hearing of the quad committee last August 22, the four panels tackled EJKs, starting off with testimonies from self-confessed killer Leopoldo Tan.

According to Tan, he and Fernando Magdadaro were hired to kill Chu Kin Tung, Jackson Lee, and Peter Wang—three Chinese nationals detained at the Davao Prison and Penal Farm for drug-related charges.

Tan claimed that Bureau of Corrections official S/Supt. Gerardo Padilla talked to a person over the phone after the alleged kill order was carried out, whom he identified as Duterte. Tan said Duterte even congratulated the jail officer.