Former President Rodrigo Duterte will not attend the House Quad Committee hearing scheduled for October 22, 2024, regarding the alleged extrajudicial killings during his administration’s drug war. His legal counsel, Martin Delgra III, confirmed Duterte’s absence, attributing it to the former president’s current health condition.
“Unfortunately, despite his keen intention to attend, my client… cannot attend the public hearing,” Delgra stated in a letter to the committee. He explained that Duterte had just returned to Davao from Metro Manila on October 17 and, considering his age and prior commitments, is “currently not feeling well and is in need of much rest.”
However, Delgra assured that Duterte is willing to appear before the committee in future sessions, likely after November 1.
Duterte has been linked to several controversial accusations, including the alleged order to kill three convicted Chinese drug offenders in a Davao City prison in 2016. He has also been implicated by Kerwin Espinosa, who claims that Duterte ordered the killing of his father, former Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa, while in detention.
Duterte has repeatedly denied the existence of a reward system for police officers during the drug war. He stated last week that his only gesture of appreciation to the police after a mission was offering food and drinks. “There was no reward. I will never give a reward,” he said in an interview.
His legal team and former spokesperson Salvador Panelo have both rejected claims that the so-called “Davao model” encouraged killing as a policy, dismissing it as a fabrication.
