Members of the House of Representatives' quad committee noticed several inconsistent or conflicting statements made by former President Rodrigo Duterte when he appeared before the panel on November 13.
"I myself am confused by his contradictions. I cannot explain why... he is like that. Perhaps we need a thorough examination and understanding of the context of his answers," said Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, overall quad chairman.
"It's very hard to determine whether he's joking, being serious, telling the truth, or just trying to make us laugh. He's difficult to read," Barbers added.
One of the most noticeable contradictions in Duterte's statements was his challenge to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate him immediately, but he suddenly retracted this, saying that he would not submit himself to any foreign agents or judges. He preferred to be judged by Filipino judges and serve his sentence in the Philippines.
Another example is Duterte's clear promise that he would sign any bank waiver related to his alleged P2.4 billion bank accounts, which were revealed by his critic, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. However, he later backtracked and cited the "conjugal nature" of his financial transactions as the reason.
Duterte also provided the reason that he had no money as a retired senior citizen, which led him to ask lawmakers to fund his trip to The Hague, where the ICC is located. However, despite this, he offered P1 million in seed money for his police officers who are facing criminal and administrative cases related to the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs).
The same observation was shared by Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong of the 1st District of Lanao del Sur and Rep. Gerville Luistro of the 2nd District of Batangas, particularly regarding the former president's fluctuating stance on his promise to sign an absolute bank waiver.
"Now, can the committee understand that when former President was asked by Chairman (Romeo) Acop if he was willing to sign any waiver, can we say, Mr. Chair, that it would be 'conditional'?" Adiong clarified.
As the assistant majority leader of the House, Adiong ensured that he had heard correctly when the former mayor of Davao City told quad committee senior vice chairman Acop that he would sign the absolute bank waiver for the first time, without any conditions.
According to Adiong, he made this assumption because, "When the former president immediately answered Chairman Acop's question, I assumed it was with full sincerity and honesty."
Luistro, a lawyer, also noticed the "contradictions" in the testimony of the former mayor of Davao City, who is also a member of the Bar and served as a prosecutor for nine years in his province.
"His testimonies are inconsistent. I don't know why," said Luistro in a TV interview.
At first, Duterte's statements were straightforward. "I will sign the waiver tomorrow (Nov. 14)," he said initially.
When Adiong first mentioned the word "waiver" during his interpellation, Duterte responded, "The waiver? Yes, immediately."
