Former President Rodrigo Duterte will go to the Senate hearing about his administration’s war on drugs, Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa confirmed on Saturday.
Dela Rosa, who was a close ally of Duterte and helped lead the drug war, said, “Yes, confirmed,” when asked if Duterte would be there on Monday.
This announcement came after Dela Rosa shared a photo on Facebook of a dinner he had with Duterte, his partner Honeylet Avanceña, and former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.
Dela Rosa mentioned that Duterte assured him he would attend the Senate investigation, saying, “The former President told me that he is going to attend the Senate hearing regardless of who is presiding.”
However, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III expressed some uncertainty on Thursday, mentioning that Duterte was having second thoughts about attending.
The Senate investigation will start on Monday, October 28, looking into the killings related to the drug war. Dela Rosa and Senator Christopher “Bong” Go had requested the Senate to hold this probe, which will run alongside a similar investigation by the House Quad Committee.
Other invited guests include retired Police Colonel Royina Garma, former National Police Commission Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, former Senator Leila de Lima, Kerwin Espinosa, and the families of drug war victims.
The Senate plans to speed up this investigation since they will begin discussions on the proposed 2025 national budget starting November 4.
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero stated that Duterte would be given proper respect if he attends the Senate investigation.
Duterte was invited to an earlier House hearing but could not attend because he was feeling unwell, according to his lawyer, Martin Delgra III.
Government records show that around 6,200 drug suspects were killed in police operations from June 2016 to November 2021, but human rights groups believe the actual number could be as high as 30,000 due to unreported killings.
