astigbet House panel cites cop for contempt after refusing to answer queries

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Police Colonel Hector Grijaldo Jr. Screenshot from House of Representatives of the Philippines’ Facebook live.

MANILA, Philippines — Police Colonel Hector Grijaldo Jr. has been cited for contempt by the House of Representatives quad committee again after he refused to answer lawmakers’ queries about his testimony before the Senate.

During the hearing on Tuesday, quad committee overall vice chairperson and Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop asked Grijaldo about his claim that two House officials — Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez and Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. — had tried to coerce him into confirming former police colonel Royina Garma’s allegations about the drug war.

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Garma previously claimed that former President Rodrigo Duterte implemented a rewards system in his administration’s drug war — similar to what he did as Davao City mayor — where cops who kill drug suspects are given monetary grants.

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When asked to confirm his statements before the Senate blue ribbon sub-committee last October 28, Grijaldo invoked his right against self-incrimination.

READ: Cop claims solons pressured him to confirm drug war reward system

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Grijaldo claimed during the Senate hearing that a security official asked him to leave the quad committee’s hearing room to meet with Fernandez and Abante, where the two lawmakers supposedly pressured him to confirm Garma’s claims.

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This happened last October 22 or during the ninth quad committee hearing, Grijaldo said.

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He added that when he told the lawmakers he could not confirm Garma’s testimony, Fernandez asked where he could fit in the ex-colonel’s testimonies.  According to the police official, Abante also attempted to persuade him to disclose information.

After Grijaldo read his affidavit, former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and now Senator Ronald dela Rosa asked if he was being coached and harassed to corroborate Garma’s claims. Grijaldo answered in the affirmative.

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Fernandez and Abante previously confirmed that Grijaldo was summoned, but he was not asked to sign anything.  During the quad committee hearing, Grijaldo did not execute any testimony that would corroborate Garma’s claims.

READ: Fernandez: Cop was summoned but wasn’t forced to sign anything

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Garma’s testimony during the October 22 quad committee hearing was about the existence of a Davao Death Squad supposedly created by Duterte when he was Davao City mayor.

During the same Senate hearing where Grijaldo was present, Duterte said several of his PNP chiefs during his term were heads of death squads.

Duterte also said that he formed a death squad in Davao made up of gangsters that would go after those who commit heinous crimes.

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Government debt in these countries, which are home to around 40 percent of the world’s population, now stands at an average of 72 percent of GDP – an 18-year high – the Washington-based development lender said.

In a statement, foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei defended his country’s attack on Israel and “strongly condemned” the sanctions, saying they were “illegal and unjustified.”

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READ: Duterte admits to having ‘death squadastigbet,’ later insists it’s not one

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