Senators press drug war probe
(UPDATES) SEN. Risa Hontiveros on Thursday proposed convening the Senate Committee of the Whole to investigate the Duterte administration's bloody war on drugs to ensure an impartial inquiry.
The proposal came after skepticism greeted an offer by Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa — who led the war on drugs as the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the Duterte administration — to lead the investigation himself as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs.
«It is very important for us to know the truth regarding the bloody war on drugs, especially for the families of the victims of EJK (extrajudicial killings),» Hontiveros said in Filipino.
«So, I will propose to the Senate leadership to have a Senate Committee of the Whole wherein the entire Senate will investigate the past administration's war on drugs,» she said in a television interview.
Hontiveros said victim-survivors of Duterte's war on drugs would be more willing to testify if the inquiry was led by the Senate Committee of the Whole, which is headed by the Senate president.
Leaders of the House of Representatives Quad Committee (quadcomm), where hearings on the drug war have already begun, welcomed Hontiveros' call.
In a statement, quadcomm lead chairman and Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said the probe of the Senate would be crucial for uncovering the truth about the drug war operations.
AdvertisementFormer senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Leila de Lima, meanwhile, criticized Dela Rosa's call for a Senate inquiry into extrajudicial killings in the war on drugs.
In a post on the X social media platform, Trillanes said Dela Rosa and even Sen. Bong Go do not have moral authority to investigate an issue in which they are involved.
He said the reputation and integrity of the Senate is at stake with these inquiries.
«The Senate leadership should intervene to stop this or to refer any other EJK-related investigation to another Senate committee so there would be no conflict of interest,» he said.
AdvertisementOn Wednesday, de Lima said Dela Rosa was trying to judge himself in his own trial.
«Sen. Bato is very funny in his plan to call for a Senate investigation into
Related News
