SENATOR Risa Hontiveros, Deputy Minority Leader, has proposed convening the Senate Committee of the Whole to investigate the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
This proposal comes in response to the ongoing debate surrounding the investigation, which is currently being led by Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Duterte’s former Philippine National Police chief and head of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs.
Hontiveros expressed concerns about potential bias in the investigation, given dela Rosa’s role in implementing the drug war during the Duterte administration.
“I will propose to the Senate leadership that a Senate Committee of the Whole be convened, wherein the entire Senate will investigate the war on drugs of the previous administration,” Hontiveros stated in a radio interview.
She believes that a Senate Committee of the Whole, presided over by the Senate president, would provide a more impartial and inclusive platform for the investigation.
“Through the Senate Committee of the Whole, I expect that the war on drugs’ victim survivors will feel more at ease and encouraged to participate and testify. We need to hear them out to know the whole truth,” she added.
Hontiveros also indicated that the Senate president would ultimately decide whether to invite former president Rodrigo Duterte to testify.
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