Hon. Dan Fernandez, Chairman of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety and Representative of Santa Rosa City, has firmly denied claims that the quad committee of the House of Representatives is being dictated in its investigation into illegal POGO operations, drug trafficking, and extrajudicial killings (EJKs) related to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
Fernandez asserted that the House leadership cannot dictate the investigations conducted by its committees. He also clarified that Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez was not responsible for the formation of the quad committee.
Fernandez’s comments were in response to Senator Ronald dela Rosa’s assertion that a high-ranking official is allegedly influencing the quad committee as part of a scheme to undermine the previous administration’s anti-drug campaign.
Dela Rosa, who was the chief of the Philippine National Police during the implementation of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, had suggested that such interference might be occurring.
Fernandez highlighted that with over 300 congressmen in the House, it would be impractical to exert influence over all members. He also dismissed as nonsense the idea of bribing witnesses, noting that any such witnesses could publicly claim they were coerced into testifying.
According to Fernandez, the quad committee was established because he, along with Committee on Dangerous Drugs Chair Robert Ace Barbers, Committee on Public Accounts Chair Joseph Stephen Paduano, and Human Rights Committee Chair Bienvenido Abante, observed that the same resource persons were being investigated by their respective committees.
The four chairpersons reportedly approached Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. regarding this issue, which led Gonzales to deliver a privilege speech and propose a resolution for the creation of the quad committee, to be debated and voted on in the plenary session.
