Former President Rodrigo Duterte will not attend the upcoming House hearings on alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during his administration’s war on drugs, according to his former chief legal counsel, Salvador Panelo.
“FPRRD said he won’t attend because it’s a useless exercise. Resource persons are not allowed to explain,” Panelo said in a message to GMA News Online, explaining the former president’s decision to decline the invitation for the second time.
The House Quad Committee, co-chaired by Manila Representative Benny Abante, plans to invite Duterte after former Iloilo City Mayor Jed Mabilog claimed his inclusion in the government’s narcolist was due to his lack of support for Duterte in the 2016 elections.
Panelo dismissed Mabilog’s claims as “nonsense,” adding that Duterte supported local government programs regardless of whether officials backed him during his presidential run.
“Mabilog should answer the drug charge if there is one,” Panelo emphasized, further stating that the former mayor’s departure to the U.S. should not exempt him from prosecution if evidence exists.
The House, led by Abante, has assured that no contempt order will be issued against Duterte should he refuse to attend the hearing.