Quadcom renews vow for justice, accountability

By Jose Cielito Reganit, Philippine News Agency

Barbers, who also chairs the Committee on Dangerous Drugs, made the statement after citing the seeming inseparable link between the past administration’s drug war and EJKs. (File Photo: House of Representatives of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – The House of Representatives Quad Committee (quadcom) on Thursday doubled down on its commitment to uncovering the truth and delivering justice, during its year-end hearing on the illegal drug trade and extrajudicial killings (EJKs) associated with the Duterte administration’s brutal war on drugs.

“Wala pong sisinuhin ang quadcom (The quadcom won’t take sides). There will be no sacred cows. We will leave no stone unturned in the search for truth, justice, and accountability,” committee lead chair Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said during the 13th hearing of the mega-panel.

Barbers, who also chairs the Committee on Dangerous Drugs, made the statement after citing the seeming inseparable link between the past administration’s drug war and EJKs.

“These two topics are inseparable, as we have seen that the extra-judicial killings were perpetrated, tolerated, and even encouraged during the implementation of the war on drugs. It was only recently that we have discovered the correlation between the two. It was as if the war on drugs cannot be implemented without killing thousands of people,” he said, pointing to a chilling pattern of systemic violence and corruption exposed throughout 12 prior hearings.

Barbers detailed testimonies that implicated high-ranking officials, including former president Rodrigo Duterte, in enforcing a “reward system” for killing drug suspects.

Rewards ranged from PHP20,000 to PHP1 million, as testified by former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma and corroborated by former National Police Commission commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, he said.

He also noted that Duterte himself admitted during his testimony that police were instructed to fabricate scenarios of resistance to justify killings.

“Kanyang inamin na inutusan nya ang mga kapulisan na patayin ang mga drug personalities, bagama’t sinabi nya na dapat ito ay manlaban, na kung hindi naman manlalaban ay dapat piliting manlaban upang ma-justify ang pagpatay sa mga ito (He admitted to ordering the police to kill drug personalities, though he said that the suspects should have fought back, or if not, force them to fight back to justify their killings),” Barbers said.

The hearings also revealed damning accusations against other prominent figures.

Suspected drug lord Kerwin Espinosa accused former Philippine National Police chief-turned-senator Ronald Dela Rosa of involvement in the killing of his father, Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa, and in framing former senator Leila de Lima, leading to her seven-year imprisonment without solid evidence.

Barbers recounted how former Customs personnel Jimmy Guban, businessman Mark Taguba, and dismissed police colonel Eduardo Acierto accused figures, such as Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband Manases Carpio, and former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang of links to large-scale smuggling operations.

He said the committee also uncovered the ties between illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) and the drug trade, implicating former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, a Chinese national, and a major POGO.

Guo was found to have laundered drug money through corporations linked to suspected drug lords Michael Yang and Lin Weixiong, also known as Alan Lim.

Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque was also implicated in lobbying the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. on behalf of POGO Lucky South 99 in Porac, Pampanga.

Records further showed the unexplained surge in Roque’s declared assets, which he failed to adequately address.

Barbers said the committee’s findings have led to the drafting of key legislative measures to close legal loopholes and hold perpetrators accountable.

These include harsher penalties for extrajudicial killings, confiscation of properties tied to fraudulent documents, and granting government agencies greater authority to cancel fictitious corporate registrations.

He also called out efforts to discredit the quadcom’s work.

“Maraming bayarang trolls at kritiko na wala namang naintindihan sa usapin o sadyang ayaw umintindi (There are many paid trolls and critics who do not understand the issue or just don’t want to understand it). But the truth will prevail,” he said.

In closing, Barbers thanked the public for their trust and support, emphasizing that these have empowered the committee to face every challenge, uncover the truth, and deliver justice.

“Dahil sa inyong kooperasyon, suporta, paniniwala at pagtitiwala, ang quadcom ay matagumpay na humaharap sa lahat ng pagsubok upang mabatid ang katotohanan at mabigyan ng katarungan at kasagutan ang ating mga hinaing, tungo sa tunay na kapayapaan (Because of your cooperation, support, and trust, the quadcom successfully faced all the challenges to ferret out the truth and give justice and answers to our grievances, towards true peace),” he said.