Speaker Martin Romualdez —Photo from House of Representatives
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives would not allow lords of “kadiliman at kasamaan”—darkness and evil in English—to reign over the country, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said on Wednesday.
In his speech before Congress went into a recess, Romualdez touted the House’s achievements since the third regular session started last July — including the formulation of the quad-committee.
The quad-committee, which includes the House committee on dangerous drugs, committee on public order and safety, committee on public accounts, and the committee on human rights, were assigned to investigate possible correlation between illegal activities in Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), the illicit drug trade, and extrajudicial killings in the past administration’s drug war.
READ: Mabilog’s claims on EJKs, drug war to be quad-comm’s next topic
“The congressional-wide inquiry—now known by our people as the quad comm—aims to uncover the truth, identify the perpetrators of those illicit activities, obtain justice for the victims and their respective families, and most importantly to ferret out the deficiencies and flaws in our existing laws, and legislate appropriate remedies,” Romualdez said.
“Criminals have no place in our society and we are leaving no stone unturned to preserve the peace and security in our country. Inuulit ko: walang puwang ang mga kriminal sa ating lipunan. Hindi natin papayagan na mag-hari ang mga panginoon at alagad ng kadiliman at kasamaan sa ating bansa (I repeat this: there is no space in our society for criminals. We would not allow lords and servants of darkness and evil to rule our country.),” he added.
People’s guardian
According to Romualdez, this shows that the House is not only intent on crafting laws, but also to serve as the people’s guardian through oversight and investigative functions.
“Hindi lamang tayo gumawa ng mga batas para sa bayan; naging bantay din tayo ng taumbayan para sa kanilang kapakanan. Tuloy-tuloy ang ating ginawang imbestigasyon para direktang tugunan ang mga suliranin sa araw-araw na buhay ng mga kapwa nating Pilipino (We are not only crafting bills for the people; we are also guardians of their welfare. We continue the investigations so that we can respond to the problems faced by Filipinos on a daily basis.),” he said.
“This investigation is a crucial step toward the creation of a blueprint for the formulation of legislative solutions to uphold the rule of law,” he added.
It is unsure if Romualdez is aware of the jokes on the internet, but the terms “kadiliman” and “kasamaan” were viral a few weeks ago, after former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque went to the Edsa People Power Monument to protest—ironically—the quad-committee hearings.
During the quad-committee hearing last August 22, lawmakers found Roque lying regarding his reason for absence, prompting the panel to cite him for contempt, being penalized with a one-day detention.
Live on Facebook
After his release from the House premises, Roque went to the People Power Monument with some of his supporters, and went live on Facebook. During that livestream, Roque made an open-ended statement where he meant his supporters to reply with “kabutihan” (goodness), in saying that the fight is not only between the Marcoses and the Dutertes, but about a battle of darkness and goodness.
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Instead of completing the phrase with “kabutihan,” Roque’s supporters said kasamaan—making it seem that the battle is between darkness and evilness.
“Hindi na po ito laban ng Duterte at Marcos, ang laban po ngayon ay pwersa ng kadiliman, laban sa pwersa ng… ? (This is no longer a fight between the Dutertes and Marcoses, this is now a fight between the forces of darkness and the forces of… ?)” Roque said.
“Kasamaan (Evilness),” his supporters replied.
The quad-committee has held six hearings so far, and is scheduled to hold its seventh on Friday, September 27. The panel has uncovered several issues, like the links of Whirlwind Corporation stakeholder Katherine Cassandra Ong to Pogo hub Lucky South 99, the fact that a former Chinese police officer owns Whirlwind, and allegations that Roque is linked to both companies.
For the extrajudicial killing issue, the quad-committee also uncovered allegations that former president Rodrigo Duterte ordered the killing of three Chinese nationals jailed in the Davao Prison and Penal Farm.
Recently, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency also confirmed that former Iloilo mayor Jed Mabilog was not in the original narco-list, and was only added after Duterte tagged him.