Home quad-committee set to conduct first assembly on Aug. 12

Facade of the Home of Representatives. | PHOTO: Official web site of the Home of Representatives / congress.gov.ph

MANILA, Philippines — The 4 Home committees collectively probing unlawful actions in Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogo), the unlawful drug commerce, and human rights violations throughout the Duterte administration’s drug battle are set to conduct their first organizational assembly on Monday, Aug. 12.

In an announcement on Sunday, the workplace of Speaker Martin Romualdez mentioned the committee on harmful medication, the general public order and security panel, the committee on public accounts, and the human rights panel are anticipated to debate its floor guidelines.

The quad-committee will even focus on the next speeches and resolutions referred to them:

• Privilege speech of Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. calling for a joint investigation into urgent problems with extrajudicial killings, unlawful medication, and unlawful actions final Aug. 5
• Home Decision No. 1346 geared at probing the P3.6-billion shabu seized within the city of Mexico, Pampanga, and the P1.3-billion shabu found within the metropolis of Mabalacat, Pampanga.
• Home Decision No. 1351 calling for an investigation into the P3.8-billion shabu intercepted on the port of Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
• Home Decision No. 14 urging the Fee on Human Rights and the Home committee on human rights to conduct, in support of laws, an investigation and assessment of the instances of slain victims of the battle on medication and all associated atrocities.
• Home Decision No. 1847 urging the committee on human rights, the committee on harmful medication, and the committee on public order and security to collectively conduct an investigation, in support of laws, into the drug-related extrajudicial killings beneath the Duterte administration’s battle on medication.
• Privilege speech of Rep. France Castro on Nov. 8, 2023 in regards to the alleged extrajudicial killings dedicated throughout the Duterte administration.
• Motu proprio inquiry on Pogo by the committee on public order and security, and the committee on video games and amusements.
• Motu proprio inquiry on alleged irregularities within the procurement course of and illegal contracts entered into by the city of Mexico, Pampanga, in violation of related auditing, procurement, and different legal guidelines to be performed by the committee on public accounts.

The assembly will begin with welcome remarks from Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, who chairs the harmful medication committee.

Earlier, Barbers mentioned the assembly can be held in Pampanga which, based on him, homes many witnesses related to the instances beneath investigation.

“And all these individuals we invited to the Pogo listening to, the likes of the mayor of Porac, the mayor of Bamban, and the appearing mayor now, the CIDG (Prison Investigation and Detection Group) personnel, the Pagcor officers, and a few PNP (Philippine Nationwide Police) generals, together with Normal (Romeo) Caramat. And we will even invite perhaps Normal [Eleazar] Mata of PNP Drug Enforcement Group,” the lawmaker mentioned.