Despite being implicated in the murder of three Chinese nationals convicted of drug offenses, former President Rodrigo Duterte will not be threatened with a contempt citation if he chooses to snub the on-going congressional inquiry into the incident.

Surigao Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, lead chair of the House Quad Committee that is conducting the probe, said this decision will be made in deference of Duterte’s stature as a former president of the country.

“We’ve already sent an invitation to the former president. Karapatan niyang tumanggi sa aming invitation. We will accord him the courtesy and respect,” Barbers told a news forum in Quezon City on Saturday (September 14).

He stressed, however, that this move should not be misconstrued as a “special treatment” for the former chief executive whose anti-drug war during his term resulted in the killing of at least 6,000 individuals, including minors suspected of involvement in drug trade.

“We extend that courtesy only to the former president. The same courtesy will not be extended sa other kawani ng gobyerno,” Barbers explained.

He also pointed out that there remains nobody among the resource person invited who have tagged Duterte to the killing of the Chinese prisoners in 2016.

However, on Friday (September 13), Corrections Senior Supt. Gerardo Padilla, former warden of the Davao Prison and Penal Farm, admitted before the committee that he received a telephone call from a voice that sounded like Duterte following the brutal murders.

Padilla confirmed that the voice on the other end of the line sounded like Duterte’s voice.

The Quadcom has been conducting a series of hearings into its drug war probe and has cited in contempt a number of resource persons it invited on account of allegedly lying before the panel.

On Friday, the joint congressional panel cited in contempt Duterte’s close allies former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque for failure to submit documents required by the panel and retired police Col. Royina Garma, former general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, for alleged failure to be truthful in her testimony.

Garma was detained in the Batasan Pambansa custody area while Roque has yet to show up.

Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa had also been invited to attend the Quadcomm hearings but is in no obligation to attend, said Barbers.

De la Rosa was chief of the Philippine National Police when the drug war deaths took place starting 2016. Most of the killings were blamed on the police who claimed self-defense.