LISTENING to testimonies of all the witnesses presented during the Congressional and Senate inquiries caused quite a stir among supporters and critics of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
This started when Senator Leila de Lima, then chairman of the justice and human rights committee, presented a self-confessed member of the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS) in the person of Edgar Matobato.
Matobato, without hesitation and fear, dragged Duterte's name along with his son Paolo as the people behind the extrajudicial killings (EJK) that were done in Davao City during their terms as Mayor and Vice Mayor, respectively.
The EJK in Davao City in the past decades, according Matobato, is similar to the current spate of killings of criminals all over the country.
However, some of Matobato's accusations were not consistent to earlier reports.
Matobato claimed that Cebu businessman Richard Lim King was killed inside the Mcdo Hotel when in fact he was shot inside the Vital C office along Sobrecarey St. in Bo. Obrero.
He also alleged that there were security personnel of former House Speaker Prospero Nograles, a political rival of Duterte in Davao City, who were killed by the DDS.
But the son of Nograles, First District Representative Karlo Nograles denounced the accusation, saying no security personnel assigned to his father were killed.
Karlo said the political difference between Nograles and Duterte never reached the point of violence.
Then, people started doubting the credibility of Matobato as a witness. He grabbed the limelight via social media as "coached witness" by solid Dutertards.
Days after the Senate hearing, de Lima was ousted as chair of her own committee by her fellow Senators.
The Congress, led by Oriental Mindoro Representative Reynaldo Umali, also initiated their own inquiry but the investigation focuses on proliferation of illegal drugs in the national penitentiary.
Six witnesses, including National Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmates Jaime Patcho, Rodolfo Magleo, Noel Martinez, and convicted drug lord Herbert Colanggo, former NBI agent Jovencio Ablen, and BuCor official Rafael Ragos submitted their sworn affidavits and testified against de Lima.
The testimonies of all the witnesses alleged that the NBP became the "drug trade center of the Philippines" under De Lima's term as justice secretary.
De Lima, according to the witnesses, received millions of money from these drug lords in exchange for the illegal drug activities to continue.
But again, people questioned the witnesses' credibility as majority of them are convicted drug lords while some were ousted executives.
Some would affirm that these convicted witnesses have nothing to gain by telling lies. But others would say they only did this to further harass and destroy de Lima, a known critic of the current administration.
How can the people evaluate whether Matobato and the DOJ's witnesses are telling the truth?
The credibility of both Senate and Congress are being questioned since senators and lawmakers are reportedly just advancing their own political interests.