With the friendship formally severed since the exit of Vice President Sara Duterte from the Cabinet, the Marcos administration has practically cut all defensive posturings and is now allowing entry of foreign probers here in relation to complaints against former President Rodrigo Duterte and others concerning extra judicial killings and the violent war on drugs by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The executive and legislative branches have practically left Duterte alone, whereas before, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. and his subalterns were firm in declaring that the country’s justice system is working and that there is no need for an external body to investigate what can be handled by an independent democratic government.
Congress now says that ICC can look into the results of Congressional investigation on the drugs war of Duterte, which it deems public records and perhaps, even the previous Senate’s hearings on EJK, which led to the detention of former Senator Leila de Lima by Duterte on charges that have been dismissed by the courts in recent months.
Leaders of the House of Representatives said ICC probers can access records of the inquiry conducted by the House Committee on Human Rights about the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) related to Duterte’s “War on Drugs” campaign.
At a press conference Wednesday, July 31, House Deputy Speaker David Suarez, Assistant Majority Leader Ernesto Dionisio Jr., and House Committee on Dangerous Drugs chairperson Robert “Ace” Barbers noted that the public nature of these hearings allows the ICC to reference and use the information as needed in its probe into the case of crimes against humanity filed against Duterte, reported Politiko.com.
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“I do concur with the position of Congressman Dan Fernandez that it can be used not only by the ICC but anyone for that matter. For as long as it will seem valuable for whatever endeavor they might want to proceed with,” Suarez said.
Dionisio said the public nature of these hearings ensures that the information gathered can be utilized for various investigative purposes.
Hypocrisy exposed?
Bayan Muna chair Neri Colmenares said the complaint filed by former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV against Davao City Representative Paolo Duterte and several other individuals, if proven, will expose the bloody war on drugs campaign of the Duterte administration as a sham.
“The charges filed by former Senator Trillanes expose the hypocrisy of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. While thousands of poor Filipinos were killed under the guise of this campaign, it appears that many drug syndicates and suppliers involved in large-scale drug smuggling operations were left untouched,” Politiko quoted Colmenares as saying.
Colmenares underscored the importance of conducting a thorough and impartial investigation into “the true nature of the previous administration’s drug war. We call on the current administration to ensure that justice is served, regardless of the political connections of those involved.”
“‘Yung public hearings natin regarding the EJKs, lahat documented naman ‘yan… It is a public record, and anyone can access these records. If the ICC would like to access this and probably feels that it will help them in their investigation, they can access these anytime,” Barbers added.
The House Committee on Human Rights, chaired by Manila Representative Bienvenido Abante Jr., has been conducting an extensive probe into drug-related EJKs during the previous administration. The hearings are streamed live on social media platforms.
Interpol involvement
In a related development, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the Philippine government will not stop the International Police (Interpol) from serving an arrest warrant on former President Rodrigo Duterte and other respondents in connection with the ICC probe. Remulla emphasized that the Philippines respects Interpol’s actions 99.9 percent of the time.
“If a problem arises, they (ICC) will bring it to Interpol. We are members of Interpol, and we do not block any movement of Interpol unless a policy contradicts our international commitments,” he said.
He said that if a warrant is issued it is Interpol’s job to serve it, and the Philippines has a duty to cooperate with Interpol.
Under the principle of comity, the Philippine government will not obstruct legal actions as long as they do not violate the country’s laws, Remulla explained.
“The principle of comity dictates that we remain friendly and do not block any legal actions they undertake. If they engage in illegal activities, then we will not tolerate it if they violate our laws,” he said.
He clarified that illegal actions would include arresting someone without proper authority or usurping power.
Remulla noted that while the government recognizes the need to discuss its course of action with other officials if a warrant is issued, it will not impede Interpol’s mission to combat international crime.
Santa Rosa City, Laguna Representative Dan Fernandez also suggested that the committee’s conclusions, including testimonies from the families of the drug war victims, could be valuable evidence for the ICC prosecutors investigating the killings.
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