Senate committee of whole drug war probe not feasible — Pimentel

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate Committee of the Whole will not investigate former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III said. 

Pimentel explained that since the Senate is on break, only the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee can hold hearings without a referral from the plenary. 

The chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee, Sen. Pia Cayetano, could choose to make a subcommittee. 

Based on what he has heard, Pimentel said that he would be chosen to chair the subcommittee, an offer he would accept. 

Fellow opposition lawmaker Sen. Risa Hontiveros proposed that the Senate Committee of the Whole should be probing the drug war. Asked if this was still possible, Pimentel answered in the negative. 

“Out of the question,” he said in a press briefing on Monday, October 21. 

If the subcommittee proceeds during the break, Pimentel said that lawmakers would need to do so within the next two weeks to expedite the process.

The opposition senator said that he is already working with his staff on a preliminary list of resource persons. 

Pimentel said that he has spoken with Senate President Francis Escudero who said that budget deliberations have already taken up most of the senators’ schedules.  

“We do not really have all the time in the world for this,” Pimentel said. 

The minority leader said he would work to streamline the process. During the House of Representatives' probe into the drug war during Duterte's term, retired police colonel Royina Garma has tagged Duterte as the chief architect of the war on drugs, which has reportedly caused the deaths of up to 30,000 people. 

The House’s probe is separate from the Senate. The Senate would need to get its own set of confessions. Duterte is unlikely to appear in the first round of hearings since the Senate still needs to establish his links to the drug war. Pimentel said that Duterte could show up during the second hearing. 

However, Pimentel also pointed out that the probe could still proceed after the break, and it could fall under the jurisdiction of the Blue Ribbon Committee or the Committee on Justice, which he chairs. 

Pimentel also said that it is unlikely that the probe would