Solons on Alvarez’s Duterte 2028 president bid idea: ‘Good luck, God bless’

MANILA, Philippines — Two ranking lawmakers of the House of Representatives have wished Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez’s camp luck after he suggested that former President Rodrigo Duterte run for the country’s top post again in the 2028 national elections.

During a press briefing on Monday,  Deputy Majority Leader and La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega as well as Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales 1st District Rep. Jefferson Khonghun were asked about the suggestion, which came out as Alvarez criticized the quad committee.

According to Alvarez, the quad committee hearings may just be intended to discredit a leading presidential candidate, which was why Duterte should run for president again.

“Good luck po,” Ortega said.

“God bless,” Khonghun added.

Earlier, Alvarez said in a statement that the House should stop conducting quad committee hearings as no new issue surfaced when Duterte attended its hearing last November 13 as a resource person.

Alvarez said that the things Duterte mentioned before the quad committee were not new, adding that these were part of the former president’s campaign promise.

“It’s better if Congress stops the quad comm.  It’s a waste of time and resources.  Congress should be focused on real issues, like rising prices of goods, more jobs, and the fight against crime,” he said.

READ: Ex-speaker Alvarez: Quad comm hearing was a dud, House must stop it

When asked about Alvarez’s statements regarding the quad committee, Ortega said he could not comment as Alvarez has not attended the four panels’ hearings.

“Wala din po siya do’n sa mga nakaraang hearings.  So wala na rin po akong maiko-comment kasi lagi naman po siyang wala dun,” Ortega said.

(He was not present in the past hearings.  So I cannot comment on anything because he was not there.)

Khonghun, on the other hand, said that while they respect Alvarez’s views, it cannot be denied that the hearing gave the relatives of the drug war victims a chance to confront Duterte and push for justice for their loved ones.

“Well, opinion ni Congressman Alvarez ‘yon and kailangan nating irespeto din ‘yong kanyang opinyon.  Pero nakita naman natin ‘yung mga lumabas sa hearing mga sinabi ni former President Duterte, at at least nabigyan ng pagkakataon ‘yon mga nagrereklamo, ‘yong may mga issue sa kanya, na harapin ang dating pangulo nang derestso,” Khonghun said.

(Well, that’s the opinion of Congressman Alvarez, and we have to respect his opinion.  But we saw that the hearing resulted in former president Duterte saying things, and at least the complainants have been given a chance to air their grievances directly, and for them to face the president directly.)

“Napaka-importante nito para at least mabuksan ‘yong mga issue na kinahaharap ng ating former president lalung-lalo na ‘yong issue sa extrajudicial killings, issue sa korapsyon, at sa kung ano-ano pa. So napaka-importante na nabuksan ulit ‘yong mga isyu lalong-lalo na patungkol sa kung ano ‘yong mga kinaharap na isyu ng dating Pangulo,” he added.

(This is very important, as it helps bring to light the issues faced by our former president, especially those related to extrajudicial killings, corruption, and others. It’s crucial to revisit these issues, particularly those concerning the challenges faced by the former president.)

Duterte was present at the quad committee hearing last November 13, which was initially canceled as the panels’ leaders preferred to validate the testimonies first from potential witnesses.  However, quad committee lead presiding officer and Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said they decided to push through with the hearing to maximize Duterte’s attendance.

READ: Quad comm hearing went on to maximize Duterte’s presence – Barbers

Several issues were tackled in the hearing, like alleged human rights violations in the Duterte administration’s drug war, the claims that police officers who kill drug suspects were rewarded with money, and the former president’s order to encourage criminals to fight back so they could be killed.

READ: Drug war successful, prevalence of narcotics minimized – Duterte 

There were instances, however, when Duterte issued contradicting statements.  At one point in the hearing, Duterte said excess campaign funds were used to reward police officers, adding that it is a common practice for town mayors.

In some parts of the hearing, though, Duterte denied the allegations from retired police colonel Royina Garma, who claimed that the former president called her in May 2016 to discuss the implementation of a Davao model in the nationwide drug war.

According to Garma, the Davao template is a system where cash grants worth P20,000 to P1 million are given to cops who kill drug suspects.