THE final hearing of the House Quad Comm on Monday concluded with lawmakers revealing that 15 marathon hearings led to the drafting of five major legislative measures addressing extrajudicial killings, offshore gaming operations, land fraud, identity falsification and espionage.
Manila Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante, co-chair of the Quad Comm and chairman of the House Committee on Human Rights, was unable to attend the session but had his opening statement delivered by Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong.
In his opening statement, Abante through Adiong detailed the measures resulting from the QuadComm’s investigation into human rights violations and transnational crimes tied to illegal POGO operations.
The proposed measures are the following:
1. House Bill No. 10986, which classifies extrajudicial killing as a heinous crime and provides reparations to the families of victims;
2. House Bill No. 10987, which seeks to prohibit all forms of offshore gaming operations in the Philippines;
3. House Bill No. 11043, which provides for the civil forfeiture of real estate unlawfully acquired by foreign nationals;
4. House Bill No. 11117, which empowers the state to cancel fraudulently obtained birth certificates; and
5. House Bill No. 10998, which penalizes conspiracy and proposal to commit espionage.
“We have heard accounts that chilled the soul – of lives discarded like refuse, of uniforms used to conceal lawlessness, of badges used as instruments of fear,” according to the speech of Abante read by Adiong, vice chairman of the House Committee on Human Rights.
The Quad Comm held hearings on EJKs during the bloody drug war of the Duterte administration that killed thousands of Filipinos.
“But we did not turn away. We listened. We dug deep. And, most importantly, we acted. Hindi lang tayo nakinig, hindi lang tayo naawa; tayo ay kumilos!” Abante added.
Abante said these legislative results were proof that congressional oversight can be a path to national correction.
“Through our work, we have reminded every evildoer, every coward in uniform, every merchant of death and deceit: your time is over,” Abante noted.
Abante also commended the whistleblowers and citizen witnesses who risked their safety to testify.
“All this has been possible because good people chose not to be silent… To them, we say this: you may escape our reach, but not the long arms of the law,” Abante stressed.
Abante described the work of the Quad Comm not as an end but a beginning. “The beginning of justice… the beginning of reform… the beginning of national repentance.”
Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen “Caraps” Paduano, co-chair of the House Quad Comm and chair of the House Committee on Public Accounts, followed with his own opening statement, stressing that the hearings’ findings showed not just administrative failure but deep-rooted vulnerability to foreign criminal syndicates.
“We must now confront the reality that there are both Filipino citizens and Chinese nationals who have allowed themselves to be used to undermine our institutions and sow division among our people,” Paduano said.
He said his committee first revealed the birth certificate fraud scheme used by Chinese nationals to operate front businesses and acquire land.
“These unscrupulous individuals would deliberately resort to illegal means… to lend a semblance of legitimacy to their unlawful intentions,” he added.
Paduano cited the case of Empire999 Inc. in Mexico, Pampanga, where P3.6 billion worth of shabu was seized and linked to Chinese incorporators Aedy Yang and Willie Ong.
“Mayor Tumang, together with the Sangguniang Bayan… dubiously reclassified a parcel of agricultural land as commercial property,” he said.
“This illustrates the gravity of the problem we face… they exploit our own people to generate income, and then use that income to undermine our sovereignty – inside our own territory,” Paduano warned.
He further revealed that some Chinese POGO operators previously served as Chinese police officers, based on testimonies received by the committee.
“These facts alone raise serious questions about his connections and potential motives,” Paduano said.
While clarifying that there is no evidence of direct Chinese government involvement, Paduano said the threat remains strategic.
“It is plausible that these criminal syndicates are operating in collusion with certain members of the Chinese Communist Party,” Paduano added
