Former President Rodrigo Duterte stated that he does not need to attend the hearing convened by the House Quadrilateral Committee, which aims to investigate the alleged extrajudicial killings during his administration's war on illegal drugs, as he has already addressed similar questions in the Senate. The joint committee invited Duterte to participate in the investigation "to provide valuable insights and clarify the issues under discussion, especially regarding extrajudicial killings."
Duterte previously indicated he would attend, but later excused himself, citing ill health, but would be available after November 1. On November 1 last year, during a media interview at the Roman Catholic Cemetery in Davao City, Duterte mentioned that the House Quadrilateral Committee's investigation might overlap with the Senate hearing he attended the previous week.
Duterte stated that he takes "full responsibility" for the bloody drug war.
"I don't mean to be rude, but the same questions have already been asked during my testimony in the Senate. That would be the core of my testimony. I could attend, but we would only be debating, and my answers would be the same," he said.
Duterte suggested that if the legislators want to hear his response to the so-called extrajudicial killings related to the drug war, they could simply rewatch the video of the Senate hearing.
The former president also echoed the remarks of Senator JV Ejercito, that the Senate's hearing on the drug war could now conclude after his attendance in the upper house. Duterte added that if he were to be invited again, he would request a plane ticket from Davao City to Metro Manila.
Duterte fiercely criticized former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, stating that the information collected during his appearance in the Senate has been sent to the International Criminal Court.
On October 30 last year, Trillanes posted on X: "Why would you believe Trillanes? He does nothing but talk. I don't even respond to him. So I won't respond to that crazy man," Duterte said.
Another education official confirmed receiving a cash envelope from Sara Duterte. "You know, if he had staged a coup when I was president, he would have been dead," he added, referring to the rebellion against the Arroyo government, for which Trillanes and other members of the Magdalo group were granted amnesty.
Trillanes has not yet responded to Duterte's remarks.
