FORMER President Rodrigo Duterte has assured Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa that he will attend the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s investigation into the previous administration’s war against illegal drugs.
The assurance was given to Dela Rosa, Duterte’s loyal ally and the ex-president’s chief implementer of his war on drugs. “The former President told me that he is going to attend the Senate hearing regardless of who is presiding,” Dela Rosa told reporters in a Viber message.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, who will preside over the investigation, confirmed that invitations will be sent out today, including one for Duterte, retired Police Colonel Royina Garma, former National Police Commission commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, former Senator Leila de Lima, Kerwin Espinosa, and the families of drug war victims.
Initially, Pimentel had planned to invite Duterte only after allegations against him were presented. However, after consulting with Dela Rosa, Pimentel decided to invite Duterte to the first hearing of the drug war investigation.
The Senate panel will commence its investigation on October 28.
The House of Representatives Quad Committee had previously conducted several hearings into the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, implicating both Senator Bong Go and Dela Rosa in an alleged reward system for its nationwide implementation.
