FORMER House speaker Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez called the 13-hour Quad Committee investigation a “big political dud” after they failed to corner former president Rodrigo Duterte.
“The hearing ended with no new revelations, no significant new information, and no basis for any case that could be filed. Everything President Duterte said, he has already said before, he even promised it in 2016. The people support his decision to start the war on drugs, crime, and corruption,” Alvarez said.
According to the first speaker of the House under the Duterte administration, he considers the investigation a political drama because the Quad Comm members did not corner Duterte.
“If there’s a case, then file the case. But there isn’t. It’s just political theatrics,” the representative of the first district of Davao del Norte described the committee’s investigation.
The lawmaker emphasized that this investigation is being conducted to discredit, at this early stage, the current administration’s candidate for the 2028 presidential election, particularly Vice President Sara Duterte.
The committee is doing this because they know that 80% of Filipinos support the former president in his war on drugs and other crimes to protect the people from criminals.
“You don’t need to be a genius to understand what’s happening. VP Sara has more votes than BBM. Plus, the people are frustrated with the administration when it comes to promises that haven’t come true. Did the price of rice go down? No, it even went up,” Alvarez said.
“It’s backfiring. Filipinos see that Duterte was sincere when he served six years as President. Filipinos felt a government with courage and compassion. And because they’re cornering Duterte now, the people’s sympathy is with him,” the lawmaker explained.
Because of this, he said that Congress should stop the investigation because they are just wasting time and the people’s money. Instead, he said that the House should focus on real issues like the price of goods, jobs for the people, and crime.
If they don’t, he said that Duterte might return to Malacañang, especially since the Constitution does not prohibit him from running again in the 2028 presidential election. Only incumbent presidents are prohibited from reelection to prevent what former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. did, which was to stay in Malacañang.
“That shouldn’t apply to a former president who is no longer an incumbent. He can run again. You saw, they grilled former President Duterte for 13 hours, he’s still strong, and his heart is in the right place. He’s truly for the country,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez believes that the people will support Duterte again if he decides to run in the 2028 presidential election because he is the only hope against the syndicates in society and government.
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