THE CHAIRMEN of a House committee investigating alleged extrajudicial killings (EJK) on Sunday said they are willing to shoulder former President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s expenses just so he could attend the inquiry.
Mr. Duterte at a media briefing last week said financial limitations prevented his attendance to the hearings, citing that he has no “extra money” as he’s living off his “retirement pay.”
“If finances are truly an issue, we’re ready to cover his travel and accommodations ourselves,” Surigao del Sur Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers, who heads the House quad committee, said in a statement.
Manila Rep. Bienvenido M. Abante, Jr., a co-chairman of the House quad committee, said that they are willing to “chip in” financially, noting that the kin of those killed during his anti-drug campaign “deserve the truth.”
The Philippine government estimates that more than 6,000 died under the campaign, according to a Facebook infographics published in June 2022 by RealNumbersPH, which is operated by the inter-agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs. Human rights groups say the death toll could be as high as 30,000.
The firebrand leader told senators last month that he offered “no apologies, no excuses” for his anti-narcotics campaign, going as far as to claim “full legal and moral responsibility” for it.
“This isn’t about politics, it’s about accountability. We’re willing to cover every expense if that’s what it takes to get answers for the people,” said Mr. Barbers. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio