Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, who will lead the Senate hearings on the Duterte drug war, promised that the investigation will be fair and free from politics. Speaking on Sunday, Pimentel assured the public that he will focus solely on evidence.
“I will not mix politics with this. We will only follow the evidence,” Pimentel said in a report by GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend.”
The Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee, led by Pimentel, will investigate whether there was a government policy to kill those involved in illegal drugs. The hearings aim to look into the deaths of between 6,000 and 30,000 people during the Duterte administration’s drug war, as different reports have estimated the number of casualties.
Pimentel explained that the goal is to determine if there was any official order to target and kill people involved in drugs.
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero confirmed that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee was selected to handle the investigation. Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Christopher Bong Go, both close allies of former President Duterte, agreed to this.
The Blue Ribbon Committee is ready to call key witnesses, including former President Duterte, if necessary. The Department of Justice, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group are also conducting their own investigations into the Duterte drug war.
“If there’s any evidence linking anyone, even the former president, we will include them in the charges,” said Police Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla added, “We won’t rest until justice is served.”
