Police Colonel Hector Grijaldo Jr. Screenshot from House of Representatives of the Philippines鈥� Facebook live.
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Members of the House of Representatives鈥� quad committee called out Police Colonel Hector Grijaldo Jr. for claiming he was pressured by lawmakers in October 2024, pointing out that closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showed him smiling, rather than being harassed.
At the fourteenth quad committee hearing on Tuesday, Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez said the CCTV footage proves Grijaldo was not pressured, contrary to the police official鈥檚 claims of an attempt to coerce him into confirming former police colonel Royina Garma鈥檚 testimony about the drug war.
Fernandez said that after he and Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. left the room, Grijaldo was seen smiling and speaking cordially with his classmate, former police officer Jimmy Fortaleza
鈥淭he conversation probably lasted less than 10 or 15 minutes. Then, when he said he didn鈥檛 know anything, we left. The CCTV footage can prove that we didn鈥檛 stay long inside. Also, if you look at the room, even if we all go there, the room is very small, and there were many people outside,鈥� Fernandez, who was speaking as a resource person, said in a mix of Filipino and English.
鈥淪o if there was coercion, harassment, or any force coming from us, I think the people around would have noticed. Even the CCTV footage, when he came out of that door, shows that he didn鈥檛 look coerced at all 鈥� he actually looked quite happy,鈥� he added.
The quad committee then played the CCTV footage, which showed that at 7:17 p.m. on October 22, Grijaldo entered the room on the sidelines of the Batasang Pambansa鈥檚 People鈥檚 Center, where quad committee hearings are held.
Fernandez then entered at 7:19 p.m., followed by Abante at 7:20 p.m. Fernandez and Abante left at 7:35 p.m., while Grijaldo exited the room at 7:36 p.m.
After leaving the room, a smiling Grijaldo can be seen talking to Fortaleza.
Last October 28, Grijaldo accused the two lawmakers of pressuring him to confirm Garma鈥檚 claims.聽 Grijaldo said that when he told the lawmakers he could not confirm Garma鈥檚 testimonies, Fernandez asked where he could fit in the ex-colonel鈥檚 testimonies.聽 According to the police official, Abante also attempted to persuade him to disclose information.
READ: Cop claims solons pressured him to confirm drug war reward system
Garma鈥檚 testimony during the October 22 quad committee hearing was about the existence of a Davao Death Squad supposedly created by former President Rodrigo Duterte when he was Davao City mayor.
During the same Senate hearing where Grijaldo was present, Duterte said several of his PNP chiefs during his term were heads of death squads.
Duterte also said that he formed a death squad in Davao made up of gangsters that would go after those who commit heinous crimes.
READ: Duterte admits to having 鈥榙eath squad,鈥� later insists it鈥檚 not one
Minutes after the CCTV footage was shown, Grijaldo was cited for contempt, after he refused to answer lawmakers鈥� queries about his testimony before the Senate.
Quad committee overall vice chairperson and Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop asked Grijaldo questions, but the police official invoked his right against self-incrimination. Grijaldo also failed to provide a legal basis for invoking this right.