THE House Quad Comm on Tuesday lifted its contempt and detention order on former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Wilkins Villanueva.
Lead committee chairman Rep. Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte approved the motion of co-chairperson Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano for the panel to lift the order in view of a motion for reconsideration filed by Villanueva.
“I was the one who moved to cite ex-General Wilkins in contempt and I appreciate his gesture of seeking a reconsideration, unlike Col. Grijaldo, who resorted to forum shopping,” he said.
He was referring to Police Col. Hector Grijaldo, former chief of the Mandaluyong City police station, who was also detained for contempt like Villanueva during last month’s 13th hearing of the Quad Comm.
Instead of seeking a motion for reconsideration, Paduano said the former Mandaluyong City police chief chose to question the committee’s contempt citation before the Supreme Court.
He said Villanueva has promised to fully cooperate with the mega panel and to truthfully answer all questions from its members.
Villanueva was cited for contempt last month for “being evasive” in his answers about the arrest of Jed Pilapil Sy, wife of suspected drug lord and Chinese national Allan Sy, after PDEA agents raided a suspected shabu laboratory in Davao City in 2004, when Villanueva was PDEA chief.
The mega committee, however, postponed the enforcement of its contempt citation and detention order to January when Congress resumed its session, in the spirit of the Christmas season.
In the case of Grijaldo, the panel wanted to question him about his allegation that committee co-chairmen Reps. Bienvenido Abante Jr. of Manila and Dan Fernandez of Santa Rosa City, Laguna had coerced him into supporting the testimony of retired Col. Royina Garma about the existence of the alleged reward system for extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration.
Abante and Fernandez have admitted meeting with Grijaldo but denied the latter’s accusation.
Two lawyers of Garma, who were invited as “witnesses” in the meeting, confirmed the two lawmakers’ denial, saying no such coercion took place.
