By Junex Doronio
MANILA — A co-chairperson of the House Quad Committee on Thursday revealed that Davao City Representative Paolo “Pulong” Duterte would like to attend and participate in its next hearing regarding the connection between the illegal drug trade, extra-judicial killings (EJKs) and the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hubs in the country.
This developed as former Iloilo City mayor Jed Mabilog revealed that he sought asylum in the United States to prevent the Duterte administration from falsely linking former senators Mar Roxas and Franklin Drilon to illegal drugs.
“We have received a copy of letter coming from the Hon. Paolo Z. Duterte with regards to some queries, addressed to the Quad Committee chairman,” House Committee on Public Accounts chairman Joseph Stephen Paduano said.
Surigao del Norte Representative Ace Barbers, the overall chairman of the Quadcom, then asked the Committee secretary to extend the invitation to Rep. Duterte, the eldest son of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
“Well, the letter states that there are questions that the Hon. Paolo Duterte wishes to ask the resource persons. And may we just ask the Committee Secretary to please make sure that the invitation will be extended to the Hon. Paolo Duterte in the next Quadcom hearing with the topic on drugs and extrajudicial killings,” Barbers quipped.
Meanwhile, Mabilog claimed that he was threatened by Duterte.
He flew overseas in 2017 after he was included in Duterte’s narco list. In the last seven years, Mabilog was in self-exile in the US but has strongly denied the drug allegations.
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