MANILA, Philippines – “There is not one family that has the monopoly for the love of this country. There are almost 120 million Filipinos who love their country.”

This was the opening statement of Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. during the resumption of the 13th Public Hearing of the House Quad-Committee. He emphasized, “Ayaw natin na mayroon lang iisang pamilya na nagsasabi na mahal nila ang Pilipinas.”

Abante noted that the Quad-Committee has “realized the gravity of the task before us. As a result of our hearing, we have produced proposed legislation that will address the issues we have unearthed as we dug into the extrajudicial killings (EJKs).”

As chair of the Committee on Human Rights, Abante stated that they will “recommend the prosecution of those behind these monstrous killings, and it is my hope that these recommendations will follow through so justice is served for the victims of EJKs.”

He also issued a challenge to critics of the Quad-Committee, saying, “Makinig mga basher, mga bayarang trolls, at vloggers na makinig para makita niyo katangahan niyo.”

Abante further suggested that issues such as the proliferation of illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), the presence of some 300,000 Chinese nationals, and cases of fraudulent birth certificates and passports began because “sinabi ng dating lider ng past administration na ginawa niya ang nagawa niya sapagkat, as I quote, ‘I love this country.’”

Abante also called on former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and now Senator Ronald dela Rosa to address his previous statement describing children killed as a result of EJKs as “collateral damage.”

Meanwhile, Quad-Committee Chair Rep. Ace Barbers expressed confidence that “marami pang katotohanan ang lalabas” as the hearings continue.

📷 House of Representatives of the Philippines