Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers clarified on Friday that the ongoing Quad Committee investigation into extrajudicial killings (EJK) during the previous administration is not intended as a political attack against former President Rodrigo Duterte.
If, along the way, certain facts implicate someone, Barbers said they are simply committed to revealing the truth. He dismissed claims that the probe was politically motivated and intended to zero in on the former president’s role in the crimes.
Barbers, along with co-chair Sta. Rosa, Laguna Rep. Danilo Fernandez, emphasized that the probe should not be viewed as a ‘demolition job’ or political harassment against the Duterte patriarch.
“Our goal is to bring out the truth. Not because of the personalities mentioned, but to ferret out the truth on the issues of EJK and then the smuggling of illegal drugs,” he said.
Former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo recently accused the committee of orchestrating a “demolition job” against Duterte, following testimonies linking the former president to the 2016 murders of three Chinese detainees in Davao.
However, Fernandez countered that the probe has been ongoing since last year and is based on evidence presented by witnesses. He said it is not their intention to harass anyone but are simply following where the evidence leads.
He explained that witnesses may have felt more comfortable coming forward now due to changes in the political climate. “Maybe they (witnesses) saw a window that somehow, with this kind of political climate in our country, they had an opportunity to air their grievances,” Fernandez said.
The Quad Committee, which is composed of several separate panels, continues to gather evidence and hear testimonies, focusing solely on the information presented without engaging in political attacks.
The investigation includes claims by inmates Fernando Magdadaro and Leopoldo Tan Jr., who alleged they were paid P1 million each to kill three convicted Chinese drug lords on Duterte’s orders inside the Davao Prison and Penal Farm in 2016.
