MANILA Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said that Senate hearings on the government's response deals prodded him to run for senator, saying he wanted to remind senators about the need to comply with "fundamental laws."
Speaking in public for the first time about his senatorial bid, Duterte claimed officials were disrespected during the Senate blue ribbon committee's hearing on his administration's purchase of COVID-19 supplies.
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He said the truth won't come out of the hearings because senators like blue ribbon committee chairman Richard Gordon and Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon are interrupting the resource persons.
"You will ask other officials to sit there for a number of days but nothing will happen. You are disrespecting thes people. You know, when you do that, you issue several summons and you can only dispose of one subject matter for one witness, that's not good," Duterte said during the launching of eight integrated seaport development projects in Mindoro.
"That's why I am running. I will tell them, you know there are rules in the Congress, but there are fundamental laws," he added.
Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, president of one faction of the administration PDP-Laban party, said in late October that he was trying to convince Duterte to "just run for senator so you can bring change in the Senate." The party initially nominated President Duterte to be its vice-presidential candidate.
Duterte accused Gordon of monopolizing the time of the hearings on the supply deals and insisted that there was no corruption in the transactions. He said the conduct of inquiries in the Senate is one of the reasons he needs allies in the chamber.
"They won't let people answer and in the end their theory will prevail," the president said.
"That's why I need, I'm not campaigning, I need (former presidential spokesman and senatorial candidate Harry) Roque, I wanted (transportation secretary) Art (Tugade) also, I wanted him to run but he did not want to. I think his wife did not want him to," he added.
Duterte filed his certificate of candidacy for senator last Saturday, reversing his decision to retire from politics. The 76-year-old president will run under the Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan party, an ally of PDP-Laban.
Duterte reiterated that he is ready to fetch officials if they are cited for contempt during Senate hearings.
"There are so many things in government that have to be corrected. Sen. Risa (Hontiveros) is wrong. She said 'you cannot change the institution'. It's not what I meant, you don't change anything there but the disrespecting of officials," the president said.
what Hontiveros said — on CNN Philippines' "The Source" — was that the Senate has an oversight function as part of the checks and balances in government and that it cannot be a "rubber stamp." She also said that Duterte would have to adjust to the schedule of the Senate, which holds plenary sessions in the afternoons.
"I told the military and police, if they shout at you, stand up, tell them the president said we have to be here to tell the truth and nothing but the truth and we will do it but please do not shout at us because we are all workers in government... (I don't) authorize you to stand up, I am just suggesting and if you are cited in contempt, I will go there and fetch you. I won't bring anything, not even a fork but I will do it," he added.
Duterte has ordered officials not to attend Senate hearings on the administration's supply deals with Pharmally, a directive that has been challenged by senators before the Supreme Court.