Probing Duterte, de Lima / ‘constitutional dictatorship’

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

If there is anything positive in the Senate’s investigation on extrajudicial killings  and the Lower House’s probe on Bilibid Prison as the country’s drug capital, these will serve as catalysts for the truth to come out, according to our neighborhood philosopher.

In the Senate probe, Edgar Matobato, a self-confessed member of the so-called Davao Death Squad who admitted killing at least 50 suspected criminals, implicated President Rodrigo Duterte in the extrajudicial slays.

In the House probe, Sen. Leila de Lima’s involvement was also put under question after high profile inmates at the Bilibid prison tagged her as having received millions of drug money when she was Justice Secretary to fund her senatorial campaign. 

Call it tit-for-tat, after the President called de Lima “immoral” for allegedly being the lover of her driver, a married man. The President said this after de Lima started the senate probe on extrajudicial killings particularly in Davao when Duterte was still mayor.    

Our neighborhood philosopher’s take on the matter is to just let all so-called witnesses spew their venom in the interest of truth or justice while the Great Unwashed view from the sidelines.

He says people are not that stupid not to know who is telling the truth or not -- like high profile Bilibid inmates or Matobato. They could have been coached by powers that be, he says, but let them talk like Bilibid inmate Colanggo who even made a singing video of himself at his luxurious quarters inside the country’s top jail.

Colangco talked about “Tilapia” which actually meant women being brought to the prison for a fee for a few hours of pleasure for moneyed inmates, while jail guards and officials looked the other way after being given bribe money.

Our philosopher says since the Lower House invited De Lima to give her side on the Bilibid issue, she should attend the hearings if she has nothing to hide.

The ultimate show, our philosopher says, should be President Duterte actually testifying in the Senate on extrajudicial killings interspersed with his trademark profanities like P-ina.

Where this will end is a foregone conclusion, he says, but it should give the masa of this Banana Republic entertainment from their dire conditions as they eke out a few pesos for the next meal.

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Following the explosive testimony of Matobato, the Senate has voted to re-organize the senate committee on justice and human rights with majority of the senators favoring the motion to remove de Lima as chair of the committee.

Sixteen senators who are all members of the majority voted in favor of the motion of Sen. Manny Pacquiao to declare as vacant the chairmanship and membership of the committee headed by de Lima.

Her committee headed the investigation on the alleged cases of extrajudicial killings and summary executions happening under the Duterte administration.

Pacquiao’s move preceded the privilege speech of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano at the Plenary.

In his speech, Cayetano called on the senate to act on the bad image of the president and the country in the international community following the series of committee hearings on the spate of killings related to drugs.

Meanwhile, three members of the minority namely Senators Ralph Recto,  Antonio Trillanes IV and Francis Escudero abstained in the voting while their counterparts Bam Aquino, Risa Hontiveros, Kiko Pangilingan and Franklin Drilon negated the motion.

Sen. Richard Gordon, was chosen to chair the committee with Senators Panfilo Lacson as vice chair and de Lima, Alan Peter Cayetano, Miguel Zubiri, Grace Poe and Kiko Pangilinan as members.

For his part, Senate President Aquilino ‘Koko’ Pimentel III who also voted to remove the chairmanship from de Lima, said the re-organization will ensure the committee’s partiality in handling the investigation.

He said, de Lima’s objectivity is in question since she and the president have been throwing allegations against each other.

He also clarified that the re-organization went through proper procedure and was devoid of any political color or influence from Malacañang.

Though de Lima has expressed great dismay over the decision of the senate, she said this was not something unexpected. She alleged this was all part of the plan to discredit her as the committee chair and to stop their investigation.

De Lima blamed Duterte for her ousting, telling ABS-CBN television: "I know I will continue to be crucified because the president himself wants that... ever since I initiated the inquiry into his extra-judicial killings."

"I don't know what will happen now, whether this inquiry into the extra-judicial killings will at all be credible," she said, warning the other senators would try to conceal the president's culpability.

Majority floor leader, Sen. Tito Sotto, meanwhile said despite the re-organization, the committee will still continue its hearing on alleged cases of extrajudicial killings and summary executions.

As our neighborhood philosopher says, let the shows go on.

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Ifugao Rep. Teddy Brawner Baguilat, minority member of the House of Representatives, has criticized presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo for suggesting the return of a “constitutional dictatorship” to supposedly solve the country’s lingering ills.

Baguilat said all Filipinos, including Panelo, owe the freedoms that they enjoy today to sacrifice made by thousands of activists, freedom fighters and advocates who brought down Martial Law then successfully toppled the Marcos dictatorship in February 1986.

“That Panelo could even suggest that those freedoms be suppressed in the name of a constitutional dictatorship is an insult to the price that the generations before paid to secure the freedoms guaranteed in the current Constitution and that should not be tolerated or entertained,” he said.

 “The authoritarian rule frowned upon by the constitution is again rearing its ugly head with the proposal from the president’s lawyer for a constitutional dictatorship.

It is painful to see a lawyer advocate a position that is scorned by the very Constitution on which he made a living. The proposal for constitutional dictatorship, founded on the removal of checks and balances, demonstrates the belief that the president or his cabinet has the monopoly of ideas that can benefit the nation. This is not only unrealistic and myopic, it is also outrightly arrogant.” 

He said the system of checks and balances was vital in ensuring a vibrant democracy. Giving the President full control through a “constitutional dictatorship” through which greater powers will be granted to the President goes against the central doctrine of a free nation.

 “We should stop any sign of dictatorship in its tracks, lest we wake up one day and find out to our dismay that the freedoms our elders fought so hard to secure will just be so easily taken away from us,” Baguilat said.

He said claims of state of lawlessness, the supposed pervasive drug problem and the desire to hasten the speed of reform do not justify the rebirth of a dictatorship.

“These are serious problems, of course, and we are one with the President in the campaign to rid the country of crime and eradicate the drug menace. But these campaigns should be executed the right way, one that will not mean taking shortcuts and just throwing away the Constitution,” Baguilat said.