A FORMER presidential spokesperson on Tuesday said ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte challenged the House quad committee to hold a “marathon” hearing on his administration’s alleged state-sponsored killings.
“Mr. Duterte and I will go to the Batasang Pambansa Complex tomorrow at 10:00am and confront the House quad committee members. Why, after demanding his presence and accepting their invitation, and coming here last night, they will just cancel it without prior notice,” former spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo told reporters in a Viber message.
“He will ask them to schedule a marathon hearing of ten days,” he added.
Mr. Panelo’s statement comes as the House quad committee on Tuesday rescheduled the Wednesday hearing as the panel vets the claims of witnesses who want to appear before the panel.
“If you recall, we always say that when we have witnesses, we want them to execute affidavits,” Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers, who heads the House quad committee, said in mixed English and Filipino in a briefing. “[And] even if they have executed their affidavits, we will still need to vet them.” — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
