In a surprising turn of events, Senator Bato Dela Rosa showed up at the Senate hearing, his first appearance since the arrest and handover of former President Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC). However, the room was nearly empty, with almost no officials present.
The hearing, led by Senator Imee Marcos, was supposed to gather important Cabinet officials and other key people, but they chose not to attend. They used “executive privilege” as their reason, meaning they didn’t want to share information or speak publicly about the case. This decision raised a lot of questions, especially since the Senate wanted to discuss the situation about Duterte and the ICC.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos had already asked Senate President Francis Escudero to issue subpoenas, which are legal orders to force people to attend, to two important officials. These people were Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon and an Air Force Chief named Arthur Cordura. However, Senate President Escudero explained that the legal department was still reviewing the situation to make sure it wouldn’t lead to a serious conflict between the different branches of the government.
At the press conference before the hearing, Escudero also said that he didn’t believe the ongoing Supreme Court case could be used as an excuse for government officials not showing up to the Senate hearing. This was important because it meant the officials should have attended the hearing, even with the court case going on.
During the hearing, Senator Imee Marcos and Dela Rosa discussed topics related to child abuse, especially online, in the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality. After that, they moved on to the ICC hearing.
In Imee’s Committee on Foreign Relations, some of Duterte’s allies led the hearing because Senator Bong Go, who was Duterte’s special assistant, wasn’t able to attend in person but made a virtual appearance.
Dela Rosa took action, suggesting that the Senate issue subpoenas to the Cabinet officials who were absent. He argued that the Senate should be respected because it is a co-equal branch of government and should not be ignored. He warned that if the officials continued to snub the Senate, it could lead to a “constitutional crisis,” which would mean a serious problem between different parts of the government.
The reason for the hearing was to discuss the arrest of Duterte, who is facing charges of crimes against humanity related to his brutal war on drugs. This war led to the deaths of at least 6,000 people, although some rights groups believe the death toll could be as high as 30,000. So far, only four convictions have been made in connection with these deaths.
The situation has sparked a lot of controversy and debate, with many people watching to see how it will unfold and what will happen next in the investigation.
In Summary:
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Sen. Bato Dela Rosa attended the hearing but faced an almost empty room.
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Key Cabinet officials, including those requested by President Marcos, chose not to attend the Senate hearing.
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There’s a possible constitutional conflict if the officials continue to avoid Senate hearings.
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The hearing was about the ICC case against former President Duterte over the drug war deaths.
