ANGARA CALLS FOR SOBRIETY AFTER DEBATES, WALKOUTS IN SENATE HEARING

"Every little action we take within view of our countrymen, can either elicit respect for, or diminish trust in, the Republic's hallowed institutions. I call on our colleagues, myself included, to exercise restraint, calm, sobriety and mutual respect in all our dealings with each other."

Senator Sonny Angara on Tuesday has called for restraint and mutual respect among senators in the conduct of Senate probe on drug-related killings which, he said, should find ways to improve law enforcement and the justice system.

The fifth Senate hearing on alleged extrajudicial killings in connection with the government's war on drugs, which lasted for 13 hours on Monday, was marked with heated arguments that led to Senator Leila De Lima walking out of the proceedings.

Senator Dick Gordon, who presided the hearing, slammed De Lima for allegedly hiding information on the kidnap for ransom case against self-confessed hitman Edgar Matobato, accusing her of "material concealment."

De Lima denied all accusations and asked for an apology but Gordon refused to do so.

"I rise today in response to what has been going on in and out of the halls of the Senate. In my 12 years as a legislator, I do not recall ever rising to respond to current events. Maraming beses po tayo tumayo para mag sponsor ng panukalang batas o committee report o resolusyon. Pero ngayon lang po tayo tumayo para mag komento sa mga nangyayari sa Senado, partikular na sa Justice Committee," said Angara in his privilege speech.

"Every little action we take within view of our countrymen, can either elicit respect for, or diminish trust in, the Republic's hallowed institutions. I call on our colleagues, myself included, to exercise restraint, calm, sobriety and mutual respect in all our dealings with each other," he said.

Angara said the hearing should be an opportunity for the Senate to find ways to improve law enforcement and the justice system, and to strengthen the Rule of Law and the respect for the law.

As the public focuses on the personal attacks against the senators or the resource persons, the lawmaker pointed out that many important issues and realities were brought up during the hearing particularly about the state and the weaknesses of the country's law enforcement agencies.

Such weak points include the delays in the issuances of search warrants, lack of PNP training facilities, and difficulty with policing PNP's own ranks.

It was also revealed during the hearings that eight out of 10 cases filed in PDEA end up being dismissed and that it takes, at the very least, a decade to convict those who are charged on illegal drugs.

Angara also urged the government to train law enforcers properly so as to have respect for basic rights and due process.

"I do suspect that there is a great temptation to exact swift justice on the part of our law enforcers given the difficulties encountered in securing convictions against known drug pushers or criminals," he said.

"Let us focus on making justice real to our people. Yung ramdam talaga nila at ramdam din ng mga may masasamang balak, na kung sila'y nagkasala, sila ay mapaparusahan. Let us work to move our justice system in the right direction, and to restore public trust in our institutions. Justice must be swift and certain and above suspicion," Angara added.