PDP Laban, led by former President Rodrigo Duterte, denounced the House Quad Committee’s (QuadComm) recommendation to pursue charges against Duterte and key allies, including Senators Bato dela Rosa and Bong Go, over alleged crimes committed during the previous administration’s war on drugs.
In a statement released Thursday, the political party called the move “politically motivated” and lacking in legal and evidentiary basis. PDP Laban also claimed that testimonies presented during the 13 QuadComm hearings were obtained under coercion, with witnesses allegedly threatened with contempt if they failed to follow the committee’s directives.
The party further criticized the QuadComm for conducting the investigation with bias and without due process, linking this to ongoing probes by another House committee targeting Vice President Sara Duterte over alleged misuse of confidential funds in the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education.
“This is a coordinated, well-funded, but poorly executed demolition job against the former President and his allies ahead of the 2025 elections,” the party alleged. They maintained that no propaganda could undermine the Duterte administration’s anti-crime legacy.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. commented separately, stating that the Department of Justice (DOJ) would evaluate the QuadComm’s recommendations. “Congress has an oversight function, and the DOJ will assess if it is time to file cases,” Marcos explained.
Official police records attribute 6,200 deaths to Duterte’s drug war, while human rights groups estimate the number to be closer to 30,000.
