Risa eyes contempt rap vs Duterte for foul words

MANILA, Philippines — If former president Rodrigo Duterte again uses foul language during the next Senate hearing on his bloody crackdown on drugs, Sen. Risa Hontiveros will not hesitate to cite him in contempt.

“How very rude,” Hontiveros said of Duterte’s demeanor during Monday’s hearing, wherein the former president spewed out expletives and pointed his fingers at senators who questioned his alleged policy of exterminating drug suspects.

“He is a visitor to our house, the Senate, but a visitor should not throw garbage there. Our rules state that there should be observance of parliamentary behavior or decorum. Duterte’s rudeness and shamelessness are the worst I’ve seen from a resource person,” Hontiveros told The Philippine STAR’s online show “Truth on the Line,” which was launched yesterday.

Asked if the Senate would hold Duterte in contempt if he uses foul language again at his next attendance, Hontiveros said: “If push comes to shove, that is always among the broad powers of the committee – cite a resource person for unruly behavior.”

Being cited in contempt could mean getting detained.

“In our investigation on extrajudicial killings in his war on drugs, no one – not even a former president – is above the law,” Hontiveros said.

But there is a chance Duterte may no longer be invited to the next scheduled hearing, because his admission under oath of having organized the Davao death squad (DDS) composed of gangsters and rich people may be more than enough for the committee, according to Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, who presided over last Monday’s hearing by a sub-committee of the Blue Ribbon committee.

“As of the moment, I see no need. If some other senators see the need, then if they manifest it, I will entertain the idea. But as of the moment, no one has,” Pimentel said on Wednesday.

“We have a lot of material to work with. Let the material stay. Let criminal law experts study very well the material with the committee,” he added. There is no schedule yet for the next hearing.

The nine-hour hearing on Monday was marred by Duterte’s profanities, often greeted with applause by his supporters in the gallery.

This irked Pimentel who warned them