Grandstanding

Senator Grace Poe is expected to file today a resolution calling for a Senate investigation into the spate of killings in Cebu - majority of which are related to the illegal drug trade that have already claimed dozens of lives and gained national attention.

During her visit to Danao City to attend the gathering of local political party Bakud in the fifth district last Saturday, Poe said her resolution will urge the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs to look into those killings in the province.

The series of murders here - more than 40 recorded in October alone - caught Poe’s attention. “As a senator and also as an ally of the people of Cebu, I will certainly file an inquiry to look into the spate of killings in Cebu and that will be submitted to the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs. And I as a vice chairman, I will take a proactive role in that public hearing,” she told reporters.

This will be the second congressional inquiry that will focus on Cebu. Earlier, Cebu City South District Representative Rodrigo Abellanosa urged for a House investigation into the massive landslide in Naga City last September 20 that killed scores of people.

However, since we are now on the way to holding the midterm elections, we can expect politicians seeking for fresh term to grab the limelight. For them, the Senate inquiry will be a great opportunity to be on national television.

Yes, Cebuanos want the truth to come out regarding the unabated murders sweeping through the province since the government heightened the war on drugs. But it’s highly doubtful if any Senate inquiry can serve its purpose of ferreting out the truth when it is only intended for grandstanding.

Solving those killings does not have to be done at the halls of the Senate but through impartial execution of justice, a duty that is only vested upon the court.