SENATOR Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday engaged Senator Antonio Trillanes IV in a word war in the Senate over the credibility of a self-confessed hitman of the Davao Death Squad in Davao City.
He clashed with Trillanes to defend President Rodrigo Duterte from what he described as a “demolition job.”
Cayetano insisted he wanted to test the credibility of witness Edgar Matobato to prove that he was part of the demolition job or Plan B of the Liberal Party to grab the presidency from Duterte and replace him with Vice President Leni Robredo.
But Robredo brushed aside Cayetano’s accusation that the Senate hearing over the alleged extrajudicial killings in the country was part of the Liberal Party’s plan to oust Duterte.
She said she was “offended by Senator Cayetano’s accusation that the Liberal Party is plotting to oust the President and that I will be the intended beneficiary of this plan.”
She said the allegations raised by Senate witness Edgar Matobato were “serious.”
“We must exhaust all efforts to get to the truth with due regard for our democratic processes and the rule of law,” Robredo said.
She called on the people to be circumspect, saying “I enjoin the public to remain vigilant and discerning as the investigation unfolds.”
Cayetano confronted Matobato if he knew that Senator Leila de Lima, the chairman of the Senate justice and human rights committee who is investigating the alleged extrajudicial killings of drug suspects during anti-drug police operations, and Senator Franklin Drilon were members of the Liberal Party.
He asked if Matobato knew who was the President, and of he knew who would become President if Duterte was no longer President.
After Matobato said Ma’m Leni, Cayetano reminded him that Robredo also belonged to the Liberal Party.
He also questioned Matobato if he was aware of the reports that De Lima was involved in illegal drugs, and that the drug lords wanted to overthrow the Duterte administration.
The heated argument started when Trillanes interrupted Cayetano who was then questioning Matobato on the identities of the people who brought him to the Senate hearing on extrajudicial killings.
“I’d just like to inquire if there’s an unli [unlimited] questioning allotted for a non-member of the committee. I believe we gave him more than an hour of a leeway for a non-member. That’s s a luxury,” Trillanes said.
Trillanes also said he could assert his right and move to declare Cayetano out of order for consuming the time of the committee. A senator had oonly 10 minutes to question a witness.
Cayetano, Duterte’s defeated running mate in the May elections, is not a member of the Senate justice and human rights committee led by De Lima, which is conducting an inquiry into the summary killings of drug suspects in the police anti-drug operations.
When Cayetano insisted on continuing his questioning, Trillanes made his motion official to declare his colleague out of order.
As there was no order on the Senate floor since Cayetano and Trillanes were both talking at the same time, De Lima temporarily suspended the proceedings.
