Former President Rodrigo Duterte did not attend the ninth hearing of the House Quad Committee on Tuesday, which is investigating extrajudicial killings related to the war on drugs under his administration.
Quad Comm overall chairman and Surigao del Norte Representative Robert Ace Barbers said that Duterte was invited to provide crucial insights that could clarify issues surrounding the extrajudicial killings.
However, Duterte’s camp sent a short notice indicating that the former president could not attend due to feeling unwell.
The notice was delivered through his lawyer, Atty. Martin Delgra.
Delgra assured the joint panel that Duterte is prepared to attend the hearing scheduled for November 1, 2024.
Delgra previously served as chairman of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board under the Duterte administration.
Barbers expressed the committee’s interest in hearing the former president’s testimony, especially concerning the deaths of three high-profile inmates in the Davao penal colony in August 2016.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Committee chairman Rep. Bienvenido Abante stated that he wants to hear directly from Duterte the reasons behind the killings of suspects under the anti-drug campaign.
According to data, over 20,000 people were killed during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.