Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday questioned the remark of the International Criminal Court's (ICC) Office of the Prosecutor that there is "reasonable basis" to believe that crimes against humanity had been committed in the Duterte administration's war on drugs.
"From July 2016 to October 2020, PDEA and PNP have conducted 178,616 anti-illegal drug operations...where 259,296 drug personalities were arrested...5,903 died during operations... seized drugs amount to a total value of P54.02 billion," Sotto said in a message to reporters.
"Ano pinagsasabi nitong si [ICC prosecutor Fatou] Bensouda na 'reasonable basis of crimes against humanity'?" he added.
The ICC said that based on available information, there is reasonable basis to believe that the "crimes against humanity of murder, torture, and the infliction of serious physical injury and mental harm as other inhumane acts were committed on the territory of the Philippines between at least July 1, 2016 and March 16, 2019" in relation to the anti-illegal drugs campaign of the government.
Bensouda started a preliminary examination of lawyer Jude Sabio’s allegations regarding the anti-illegal drugs campaign in February 2018.
Weeks later, President Rodrigo Duterte announced the Philippines was withdrawing from the ICC, a move that was challenged by opposition senators before the Supreme Court. The exit took effect in March 2019 but the preliminary examination continued.
In January, Sabio withdrew his communication, but the ICC said such an action would have no impact in the ongoing preliminary examination.
Why not cooperate?
Detained opposition Senator Leila de Lima welcomed the ICC's initial findings and said Duterte and his cohorts’ world is getting smaller.
"This is why Duterte is now trying very hard to backpedal on his statements regarding human rights, to make it appear that they are doing everything to address the issue of EJKs and other grave human rights violations," she said in a statement.
"But the blood of the thousands of EJK victims are already in Duterte and his enablers’ hands. They will never be able to wash it with empty rhetorics, lies, and repeated denials that EJKs are not state-sponsored, while insisting on their 'nanlaban' narrative," she added.
De Lima, a staunch critic of Duterte, dared the Palace to allow the ICC to investigate the human rights situation in the country.
"If there is nothing to hide, why not cooperate with the ICC and pledge to offer your support if needed? Why threaten those who want to investigate the killings in the country? Kunwari pa kasing wala silang pakialam, eh halata namang takot at binabangungot na sila sa mga ganap sa ICC," she said.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque earlier said ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s appreciation of the incidents linked to the drug war was "legally erroneous." He also believes there would be no ICC investigation in the country after Bensouda finishes the preliminary examination in the first half of 2021.
"Mayroon na pong desisyon ang ICC, na hindi sasayangin ng ICC ang panahon ng kanyang mga opisyales sa mga kaso na hindi naman po uusad dahil walang kooperasyon," Roque said. "Sayang lang ang pera at ang oras."
De Lima slammed Duterte's spokesman for this remark.
"This certified Duterte Sycophant Spokesperson never fails to show us just how low he has sunk for the sake of power and ambition. He refuses to understand, or simply ignores the fact that it will never be a waste of time and money to unearth the truth and prosecute a mass murderer!" she said.
The Philippine National Police, on the other hand, asserted that evidence is needed to prove that state forces indeed committed human rights violations in Duterte's war on drugs.—AOL, GMA News
