Senate President Francis ‘Chiz’ G. Escudero has assured former President Rodrigo Duterte that he will be accorded with respect befitting his stature if he decides to attend a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation into his administration’s drug war campaign.
Duterte has been invited as a resource person to the hearing set on Monday, October 28, 2024, and according to Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, the former President will attend the public hearing.
“Sino man resource person, dating pangulo man o ordinaryong Pilipino, ay nararapat tratuhin ng may paggalang, respeto at ng buong pagkilala sa kanyang karapatang pantao sa ilalim ng Saligang-Batas natin,” Escudero said.
Escudero said the appearance of a former President in these types of proceedings is not unusual. He recalled how the late former President Benigno Aquino III also attended a Senate hearing into the alleged anomalies in the procurement of anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia in 2017.
Just like how Aquino was treated during his attendance at that hearing, Escudero said he expects his colleagues to accord Duterte the same level of respect if he decides to attend the hearing next week.
“Siyempre dahil dati siyang pangulo, inaasahan ko na sa parte ng mga miyembro ng Senado na bibigyan siya ng karampatang paggalang, hindi lamang bilang tao, hindi lamang bilang Pilipino, kundi bilang dating pangulo ng ating bansa,” Escudero said.
He said the former President can testify on matters based on his personal knowledge or just refer the committee to the personalities under his administration who can best answer the queries of the senators.
“Inaasahan ko na magkakaroon ng maliwanag, payapa at komprehensibong palitan ng pananaw at palitang ng impormasyon na hindi kailangan dumating sa anumang away, bangayan o init ng ulo,” he said.
With regard to the calls for Dela Rosa and Senator Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go to inhibit from the hearings because they have been implicated in the probe of the House of Representatives on the same issue, Escudero said it is their right to attend as members of the Senate.
Escudero said he is confident the two senators are aware of how they should behave as members of the Senate and as personalities who have been implicated in the subject of the congressional probes.
“Hindi ito imbestigasyon kaugnay sa paggawa ng isang krimen. Wala pa tayo doon. Ito’y imbestigasyon pa lang ng Kongreso at ng Senado kung saan wala pang kasong ihinahain o sinasampa,” he said.
As provided for in the Rules of Criminal Procedure and the Constitution, Escudero said an accused has the right to face his or her accusers as part of the due process.
“‘Pag dumating ‘yung punto na sila ay magsasalita kaugnay sa anumang personal knowledge nila kaugnay sa pinag -uusapan sa pagdinig, I presume that they will be stating these facts on their own as members of the Senate, without the need of actually taking their oath as members of the Senate,” he said.