A lawyer of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte said the latter’s no-show in today’s public hearing of the Joint Committee on Public Accounts, Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Security and Human Rights (Quadcomm) is pointless, thus his unnecessary presence.

Lawyer Martin Delgra III, in a Nov. 5 letter addressed to Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers,  Quadcomm chairperson, said the former president harbors some concerns regarding the integrity, independence, and propriety of the Quadcomm.

“First, with all due respect, my client is already doubtful as to the Honorable House Quad Committee's integrity, independence, and probity to conduct the legislative inquiry in aid of legislation,” read the letter on behalf of his client.

He added that the former president manifests that while he respects and recognizes the authority of Quadcomm to conduct inquiries in aid of legislation, the former cannot attend the public hearing as scheduled.

“While my client's attendance is supposedly for him to provide valuable insights and to shed light on issues under discussion, particularly on extra-judicial killings, it is apparent that the inquiry is a mere political ploy aimed to indict him for crime or crimes he did not commit.

Delgra said Quadcomm co-chairpersons Bienvenido Abate Jr. and Danilo Ramon S. Fernandez have openly stated their belief that Duterte should be held responsible for the offense of "willful killing" as defined in Section 6 of Republic Act No. 9851, the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity, asserting that the evidence is clear.

“If that is indeed their belief, then the proper course of action would be for them to file the proper criminal cases against my client before the Department of Justice and for the latter to resolve whether probable cause exists or not. After all, we have a fully functioning judicial system in our country,” the letter added.

Duterte, he said, is deeply alarmed by the Quadcomm’s apparent attempts to persuade, or even pressure, resource persons into making statements under oath about matters they know little to nothing about.

Even more troubling is the suggestion that they may encourage false statements during the joint committee inquiry.

“My client, a former city prosecutor, even offered an opinion that it was a case of subornation, an act of inducing someone to commit perjury. Said statement, if indeed true, casts doubt as to the Honorable House Quad Committee's integrity and impartiality,” the letter read.

Delgra said Duterte respectfully suggests that the QuadComm be provided with the full transcript of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee (Subcommittee on the Philippine War on Illegal Drugs) inquiry from October 28 to save the government time and taxpayers’ money.

The Senate Sub-Committee Chairman, Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel, has publicly mentioned that such a transcript is available for those who duly request it.

“In the said hearing, which lasted for almost nine (9) hours, my client extensively discussed and shared his knowledge as to the alleged extrajudicially killings during his administration. More importantly, he gave valuable input on how to strengthen the war on illegal drugs, a demonizing element and national menace,” he said.

Among Duterte’s proposals are the appropriation of additional funds to the Philippine National Police for logistical and operations support on police operations, strengthening the institutional and financial support to the Local Government Units down to the barangay units in addressing the problem of illegal drugs, which is prevalent at the barangay level, and finally, to provide more budgetary appropriation to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDA) to adequately address its legal mandate.

“According to him, he has said everything he wanted to say on the subject of the Philippine war on illegal drugs and the issue of extra-judicial killings attendant thereto,” the letter read.

The House QuadComm legislative inquiry purportedly on the alleged Extra-judicially killings, Delgra said, is an adjunct issue to the broader subject matter on the Philippine War on Illegal Drugs, which was the subject of the Senate Inquiry. (AAA