Duterte skips House panel, cites oath-taking concerns

The House of Representatives quad committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on November 7 regarding former President Rodrigo Duterte's administration and alleged extrajudicial killings during his drug war.

Former President Duterte will skip the hearing, citing concerns over the manner in which the quad committee allegedly 'persuades' persons to admit matters under oath, according to a letter from his lawyer Martin Delgra III.

Lawmakers expressed skepticism about Duterte's claims of subornation and questioned whether he was avoiding accountability, with Rep. Zia Adiong calling it a 'clear act of evasion'.

The quad committee invited Delgra to attend the next hearing to explain the contents of his letter on behalf of Duterte and stressed that they did not force any admissions from resource persons.

Retired police colonel Royina Garma recently disclosed in a quad comm hearing that Duterte and other high-ranking officials sanctioned covert operations replicating the Davao City model of extrajudicial killings on a national scale.