House Quadcomm to tackle missing sabungeros issue

Manila Representative Bienvenido Abante said Friday the House Quad Committee will be revived in the 20th Congress and will tackle the issue of missing sabungeros.

Abante, one of the co-chairpersons of Quadcomm and chaired the House committee on human rights in the 19th Congress, said the issue should be tackled under extrajudicial killings.

"That will be covered. In fact, I've already talked with some of the would-be members of the QuadComm na palagay ko makakasama ito sapagkat that is another issue as far as the extrajudicial killing is concerned," Abante told GMA Integrated News.

"The fact that more than a hundred sabungeros, whether they cheated or not, but they were not given due process, ay bigla na lang pinatay at nawala. So palagay ko, Congress has to tackle on that also," he added.

Abante disclosed that when the news of the missing sabungeros first broke, he delivered a privilege speech on the issue as some of them are his constituents.

"Noong unang-unang mga napatay na mga nawala na mga sabongero, 'yun ay nangyari sa aking distrito. Eight of them, actually, were missing. I already exposed that in my privilege speech. I'm so glad na ngayon, na-expose uli 'yan. And this time, hindi lang eight or 34 but more than 100. So it's time for us to be able to tackle that issue," he said.

Abante also said the QuadComm intends to invite as a resource person whistleblower Dondon Patidongan.

"Papaimbita po namin, for example, like 'yung whistleblower nila o 'yung magiging witness, si Totoy. Well, definitely we're going to invite him. Pag-uusapan pa namin kung sino pa maaaring imbitahan d'yan. For example, like Atong Ang should be also invited. And of course, the Philippine National Police who investigated some of the policemen right now na nasa custody na nila. They should be invited and then shed light to what has really happened sa missing sabungeros," he said.

The 20th Congress is scheduled to hold its first session on July 28, 2025.

Committees will be constituted afterwards.—AOL, GMA Integrated News