Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez, co-chairman of the Quad Committee investigating the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) that occurred during the Duterte administration, raised serious concerns over Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa’s decision to launch a Senate inquiry into the same bloody drug war, saying it was a “clear case of conflict of interest”.
Fernandez, chairman of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety, slammed the move, given that Dela Rosa had a prominent role as the former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and key enforcer of the controversial anti-drug campaign.
“Delicadeza na lang sana ang pairalin ni Sen. Bato. For me it is highly inappropriate for him, the chief enforcer of the drug war, to lead a probe into the very operations he designed and implemented,” Fernandez said in a press release from the Office of the House Speaker Oct. 17.
“As the architect of the war on drugs, Sen. Bato would be practically investigating himself. This undermines the integrity and objectivity of any findings that may result from this investigation,” he added.
Fernandez noted that Dela Rosa’s leadership in the PNP during the Duterte administration was marked by widespread reports of EJKs, some of which have been linked to a cash rewards system allegedly designed to incentivize so-called “drug kills”.
The Quad Comm chairman called on the Senate to assign a more independent senator to lead the inquiry, someone who has not been directly involved in the execution of the policies being scrutinized. ||
