Former President Rodrigo Duterte and dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo. Photos by Maria Tan and Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News MANILA — The House Quad Committee said it aims to present an initial report of its inquiries into illegal drugs, its connection to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO), and extrajudicial killings during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte before Congress goes on break.

In a statement on Sunday, Quad Comm lead chairperson Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte said the mega panel would "submit the report before Congress starts its Christmas recess."

The House of Representatives is set to adjourn for Christmas break on December 18.

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Barbers said the Quad Comm will present a progress report to the plenary so the legislative measures they have filed and will be filing could be processed soon.

“The reason kasi why we will submit this in the plenary yung progress report, kasi there are things na dapat maaksiyunan na kaagad,” Barbers explained.

The Surigao Del Norte congressman said the House could adopt the recommendations and suggest their inclusion in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s priority legislative agenda.

“[O]r baka suwertehin pa tayo, ma-certify as urgent yung bill no, nang sa ganun yong counterpart naman sa Senate ay gumawa din at kumilos din,” Barbers said.

(If we're lucky, the bill could even be certified urgent. That would prompt our counterparts in the Senate to file a similar bill)

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PROPOSED LEGISLATION

Lawmakers earlier filed a bill seeking to define EJKs as a heinous crime and imposing the maximum penalty on offenders.

They have also proposed amendments to Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Bills seeking to ban POGOs also hurdled a House panel last month, less than two weeks after the President issued an executive order banning POGOs, internet gaming, and other offshore gaming operators in the country.

Quad Comm likewise proposed a measure to create an inter-agency government committee led by the Philippine Statistics Authority to expedite the administrative cancellation of questionable birth certificates.

Barbers said Quad Comm’s initial progress report would also include recommendations for the filing of charges against individuals linked to "illegal drugs, illicit POGO,s and EJKs."

Barbers said the mega panel is planning to conclude its hearings on POGO, so it can focus on illegal drugs and EJKs.

“We are thinking of already terminating 'yong hearing namin sa POGO, so tututok na lang tayo sa dalawang usapin no yong ejk at saka yong drugs,” the Mindanao lawmaker said.

When asked if the mega panel will invite former President Duterte to its inquiry again, Barbers said he does not see a need to since Duterte already told the House panel "a little more than what he revealed or what he admitted in the Senate."