MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has instructed officials to get his go signal before attending the Senate inquiry into government's alleged overpriced pandemic transactions.

Duterte said the inquiry grills some resource persons for up tp 7 hours, while others just wait on standby without giving their testimony.

Stretching the hearings, he claimed, would be "good for election" plans.

"Ganito ang proposal ko (this is my proposal), I will require that the Cabinet members invited to your hearings, that he will clear the invitation with me," Duterte said in a taped speech that aired on Tuesday.

"If I think that he will be called for walang silbi except to harass, to be berated in front of the republic, hintuin ko na ‘yan at pagbawalan ko na," he added.

(If I think that he will be called for no purpose except to harass, to be berated in front of the republic, I will stop and ban that.)

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Apparently addressing senators, Duterte said, "May option kayo, you can cite the person in contempt. Pero ako na magsabi na ako ang may utos na hindi mag-attend."

(You have an option, you can cite the person in contempt. But I will say, I was the one who ordered them not to attend.)

"I think I can do it as President really there is an abuse of authority there or exceeding the authority of the reasonable time that Congress conducts a hearing. I will limit you to what you can do to with the executive department of the government," he said.

He later told Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, "the next time he is invited, he should clear the invitation to appear dito sa akin (here with me) and I will decide."

"Nasabi na ni Secretary Duque ‘yong kaya niyang—ano pa ba ang gusto nila? Pati ‘yong kaluluwa n’yo hatakin?" the President continued.

(Secretary Duque has said all he can. What else do they want? Pull even your soul?)

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The Legislative branch, which has separate powers from the Executive Branch, is "authorized to make laws, alter, and repeal them through the power vested in the Philippine Congress."

Probes in the Senate or House of Representatives are done in aid of legislation.

Barring aides from attending these probes "is the prerogative of the chief executive," said Senate President Vicente Sotto III.

"It's up to him. However, the Senate will exercise our legislative oversight function over government projects and expenditures that we approved," he said in a statement.

Asked if Duterte would issue an executive order on this, his spokesman Harry Roque said, "he could."

"There’s legal basis for that kung gagawin po ‘yan ng Presidente (if the President does that)," he said in a press briefing.