House quadcom invites ex-president Duterte to EJK probe

MANILA, Philippines — The four joint committees in the House of Representatives investigating extrajudicial killings (EJK) during the Duterte administration have invited former President Rodrigo Duterte to their upcoming hearing.

In a letter dated October 18, the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights and Public Accounts invited the former president to “give valuable insights” and shed light on the issues concerning EJKs.

The hearing will take place on Tuesday, October 22.

The House quad committee invites former president Rodrigo Duterte to their upcoming hearing about extrajudicial killings on Tuesday, October 22, 2024.

Duterte said on Thursday that he would attend the quad committee hearings on extrajudicial killings.

“Hindi ako aatras d’yan.… pic.twitter.com/cW2Dh4NBxE

On Thursday, October 17, the former president said that he would attend committee hearings on drug war-related killings.

“Hindi ako aatras d’yan. Sasagutin ko silang lahat at marami akong sasabihin sa taong bayan,” Duterte told his former legal adviser Salvador Panelo in the latter’s in a program in Sonshine Media Network International on Thursday. 

(I won’t back down from that. I will respond to all of them, and I have a lot to say to the public.)

Since September, the Quad Committee of the House of Representatives, composed of the Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights, and Public Accounts has been investigating the connection between Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) and the illegal drug trade.

On October 11, Duterte-appointed former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Royina Garma said that Duterte had asked her to implement the "Davao Model" on a nationwide scale, which included a reward system for police officers based on the number of drug suspects they killed.

The former PCSO chief described the Davao Model as a three-tier reward system for police officers, offering them either a commendation, financial support for "planned operations," or reimbursements for operational expenses.

However, this was denied by the former president saying that the only form of reward that he gave to the