EJK PROBE
FOLLOWING the sworn affidavit and testimonies of two inmates, the House quad-committee formally invited former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to appear before the committee to address allegations of his involvement in extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during his administration’s bloody war on drugs.
The invitation follows testimony from Leopoldo “Tata” Tan Jr., one of two inmates who admitted to killing three Chinese drug lords inside the maximum security facility of the Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF) in 2016. Tan claimed that the killings were allegedly ordered by the former president.
Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. moved to invite former President Duterte to address the allegations, after hearing Tan’s testimony.
“In the interest of fairness, may I move to invite former President Duterte to hear his side on this matter?” Gonzales said.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chair of the Committee on Dangerous Drugs and overall chair of the quad-committee, promptly declared the motion carried after it was duly seconded.
In his testimony, Tan claimed that he overheard Supt. Gerardo Padilla, then officer in charge of the DPPF, receiving a congratulatory phone call allegedly from Duterte after the Chinese drug lords were killed.
The following is an excerpt from Tan’s sworn statement, which became the basis for inviting the former president to the hearing:
“Habang naglalakad kami papuntang Investigation Section, tumunog ang cellphone ni Superintendent Padilla. Nakita ko na pinindot ni Superintendent Padilla ang kanyang cellphone. Nadinig ko na sinabi nung tumawag kay Superintendent Padilla, ‘Congrats Superintendent Padilla, job well done. Pero grabe yung ginawa, ginawang dinuguan,” Tan told the solons.
“Alam ko na ang kausap ni Superintendent Padilla ay si Presidente Duterte dahil pamilyar ko ang boses niya,” Tan continued.
“Pagkatapos ng tawag, sabi ni Superintendent Padilla sa mga kasamahan niya doon. Tumawag si Presidente, nag-congrats sa akin.’ Dahil sa sinabing ito ni Superintendent Padilla, kaya lalo akong napaniwala na ang tumawag sa kanya ay si Presidente Duterte,” he added.
