QUEZON City – Former President Rodrigo Duterte has again refused to appear before the four committees in the House of Representatives that is investigating his bloody war on drugs.
His lawyer Martin Delgra III instead submitted a letter declining the invitation sent by Congress and claiming that the former strongman has already generously contributed to the deliberations on the same topic conducted by the Senate last week.
Cong. Joseph Paduano scored Duterte’s continued absence in the House hearings, and pointed out a previous letter by the same lawyer promising that Duterte would appear at a hearing date after November 1, 2024.
“Ano, naglolokohan tayo dito?” Paduano asked his fellow chairpersons presiding over the four committees. He then proceeded to read a portion of Delgra’s letter making the assurance, “rest assured of my client’s willingness to appear, preferably after November 1.”
The quad com eventually decided to invite Delgra to its next hearing to shed light on the contents of his letter that allegedly alluded to certain biases and predispositions on the part of the members of the quad com, which Cong. Zia Alonto Adiong characterized as “assailing integrity and impartiality of quad com.”
Adiong said he did not expect the “attacks against members of Congress,” which also imputed the criminal act of subornation of perjury.
Other no-shows
The quad com earlier issued an order directing police Colonel Hector Grijaldo to show cause why he should not be held in contempt for his failure to appear at the hearing.
Grijaldo’s lawyer sent a letter stating that his client suffered from chronic shoulder pain due to dislocation. He also attached a prescription letter to prove Grijaldo’s ailment.
Grijaldo told Senators last week that he was pressured by congressmen into affirming portions of Royina Garma’s affidavit that allude to the cash reward system in Duterte’s war on drugs.
Also absent from the hearing was alias Muking Espino, said to be an assistant secretary reporting to former presidential assistant now Senator Christopher ‘Bong’ Go who allegedly remitted reward money to Col. Edilberto Leonardo’s group who implemented the system from his office in Davao. Espino was likewise directed to show cause why she should not be held in contempt.
Lawyer Emmanuel “Mans” Carpio, the husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, also submitted a letter instead of personally appearing in response to the invitation sent by Congress. Carpio’s name was mentioned by former Customs intelligence officer Jimmy Guban as an illegal drug importer when Duterte was president./PN
