The House Committee on Human Rights on Tuesday approved the motion to invite former president Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Ronald de la Rosa as resource persons to its probe of extrajudicial killings in the previous administration's bloody war on drugs.

During the committee's third hearing on Tuesday, lawmakers listened to stories of the relatives of the drug war victims.

Gabriela Women's Party Rep. Arlene Brosas moved to invite Duterte and de la Rosa to respond to the issues presented by the victims and their families.

The motion was seconded and, without objection, approved.

Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., the committee's chairman, said, "[as] much as I want to give courtesy to the former president and the senator Bato de la Rosa, because of the gravity of the testimonies of these victims, they should face these people and hear their complaints."

Brosas also moved to invite former senator Leila de Lima, a critic of the Duterte administration's drug war.

This motion was also approved.

On Monday, a Muntinlupa court dismissed the third and last drug charge against de Lima.

The committee's next hearing is on Wednesday, June 26, 2024.

Recently, the Caloocan City Regional Trial Court Branch 121 convicted four police officers for killing Luis Bonifacio and his son Gabriel in September 2016 as part of the war on drugs.