In a significant development at the House of Representatives, the quad committee has once again cited Colonel Hector Grijaldo for contempt. This action was taken during the committee’s 14th session held at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City on January 21, 2025. Grijaldo, a former police chief from Mandaluyong City, faced the committee’s ire for the second time due to his persistent refusal to respond to inquiries about his claims that two lawmakers coerced him into supporting allegations of a cash reward system during the drug war under the previous administration.
During the hearing, Grijaldo repeatedly cited his right against self-incrimination, particularly when pressed about whether Representatives Bienvenido Abante Jr. and Dan Fernandez pressured him to back retired police colonel Royina Garma’s testimony on the existence of a reward system for extrajudicial killings. Both Abante and Fernandez have denied Grijaldo’s allegations, which he first made during a Senate hearing in October 2024.
Legal representatives of Garma have also refuted Grijaldo’s claims, stating that no congressmen attempted to influence him into supporting a specific narrative. The motion to hold Grijaldo in contempt was initiated by Representative Romeo Acop and was unanimously approved by the committee, led by Representative Robert Ace Barbers. Additionally, the committee decided to move Grijaldo’s detention from the House premises to Station 6 in Batasan Hills, Quezon City. This decision follows an earlier order in December for his detention due to missing four hearings, which he attributed to recovery from shoulder surgery.
In related developments, Representative Rolando Valeriano proposed the establishment of special courts to expedite trials related to alleged extrajudicial killings during the drug war, targeting former President Rodrigo Duterte and his key allies. Valeriano’s suggestion comes in the wake of a quad committee report recommending charges of crimes against humanity against Duterte, Senators Christopher Lawrence Go and Ronald Dela Rosa, and other high-ranking police officials involved in the drug war operations known as Oplan Tokhang.
Valeriano believes that the creation of these specialized courts, as permitted by the Judiciary Reorganization Act, would enhance judicial efficiency and support international efforts, including those by the International Criminal Court (ICC), to hold those responsible accountable. He emphasized that domestic mechanisms should align with global accountability efforts to ensure justice.
Echoing the call for justice, Representative Gabriel Bordado Jr. urged swift action on the quad committee’s report, emphasizing the need for justice for victims of extrajudicial killings. He highlighted the plight of families affected by the previous administration’s drug war, stressing that the House’s adoption of the committee’s report is a serious step towards addressing these injustices.