FACT CHECK: House quad committee endorsed, not filed, case vs Duterte, Dela Rosa, Go

Claim: The House quad committee has filed cases against former president Rodrigo Duterte and senators Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and Bong Go over the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs. 

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The claim can be found in a video uploaded on December 19 on the YouTube channel Showbiz Fanaticz. As of writing, the video has 23,174 views and 553 comments. 

The title of the video states: “Matapos kasuhan sina PRRD, Bato at Go | Ace Barbers, tablado kay Panelo?! | “Patunayan nyo sa korte!” 

(After filing cases against [former president] Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Bato, and Go | Ace Barbers, rebuked by Panelo?! | “Prove them in court!”) 

Onscreen text seen throughout the video also claims the quad committee filed a case against the three for crimes against humanity.

The facts: The House quad committee has not filed cases to charge Duterte, Dela Rosa, Go, and several others involved in the previous administration’s war on drugs of crimes against humanity.

Instead, the committee only recommended the filing of charges under Section 6 of Republic Act No. 9581 or the Philippine Act on Crimes against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity, as mentioned by committee chair Surigao del Norte 2nd District Representative Ace Barbers in a plenary speech on December 18. (READ: Duterte, Dela Rosa, Go liable for crimes against humanity — House of Representatives)

Barbers presented the 43-page progress report, which outlined the evidence and legislative recommendations based on the mega panel’s 13 hearings into illegal drugs, Philippine offshore gaming operations, and extrajudicial killings during the war on drugs campaign.

The question on filing of cases will fall on the victims, groups with legal standing, or government agencies that have motu proprio powers like the National Bureau of Investigation or the Commission on Human Rights.

On December 19, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the justice department would assess the quad committee’s recommendation.

Other recommendations: Aside from endorsing the crimes against humanity charges, the House quad committee also recommended the filing of charges against various drug personalities, co-conspirators in the murder of Chinese personalities in the Davao Prison and Penal Farm, and individuals involved in the murder of retired general and former Philippine Charity and Sweepstakes Office board secretary Wesley Barayuga. 

It also recommended further investigations into various individuals allegedly involved in drug smuggling and crimes linked to POGO activities. Notable individuals named for those investigations include Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte, Chinese businessman and Duterte administration economic adviser Michael Yang, Duterte administration presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo also known as Guo Hua Ping, and Cassandra Li Ong.

Previous related fact-checks and discussions: Rappler has published several fact-checks debunking claims about the House quad committee, its proceedings, or information mentioned during its hearings:

• FACT CHECK: House quad committee not abolished (December 13, 2024)
• FACT CHECK: Spliced video falsely claims Barbers ‘admitted’ being a drug lord  (December 10, 2024)
• FACT CHECK: ICC has imprisoned individuals convicted of grave int’l crimes (November 18, 2024)
• FACT CHECK: Trillanes not arrested for libel after House probe clash with Duterte (November 15, 2024)

As for the YouTube channel “Showbiz Fanaticz,” Rappler has debunked at least 41 false claims made by the channel as of September 22, 2021, with other fact check articles published in 2022 and 2023. Multiple Rappler articles have also discussed the false information coming from the channel and similar disinformation peddlers:

• Lies that persisted in Marcos’ 1st year as president: Gold, propaganda, credit-grabbing (July 14, 2023)
• They’re getting smarter: How disinformation peddlers avoid regulation (February 16, 2023)
• [ANALYSIS] The rise of Meta-partisan ‘news’ ecosystems on YouTube (April 19, 2022)
• Global fact-checkers demand from YouTube effective action against disinformation (January 13, 2022)
• Red flag for 2022: Political lies go unchecked on YouTube showbiz channels (September 22, 2021)

– Percival Bueser/ Rappler.com 

Percival Bueser is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

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