House panel says it won't work with ICC on drug war probe

As the House Committee on Human Rights started its first hearing on deaths attributed to former President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war, Committee Chairperson and Manila Representative Bienvenido Abante Jr. said on Tuesday that the panel would not work with the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into extra-judicial killings during the drug war.

“The Committee on Human Rights will not in any way work with the ICC on this because I believe that this should only be focused on the human rights violation in the local area that we have,” said Abante.

“Let the ICC be the one to conduct their own investigation on what they would like to have. But not with the Committee on Human Rights.”

Meanwhile, National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) Chairperson Neri Colmenares emphasized during the committee hearing that the families of drug war victims were not pursuing a political vendetta. 

The NUPL serves as the counsel for the six relatives of eight victims and the religious group Rise Up for Life and for Rights in their complaints against Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity.

“I understand that the committee is not here for a political vendetta or an issue of politics and I assure the committee that this is not the intention of the families of victims,” said Colmenares.

Based on government records, around 6,200 drug suspects were killed during the Duterte administration’s anti-drug police operations.

Human rights organizations, however, say that the number may reach 30,000 due to the unreported related slays.

The Philippines, under Duterte, withdrew from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, in 2019 after the tribunal began a probe into his administration's drug war.

First hearing

Earlier, House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas lauded the hearing as “historical,” stressing that it was the first hearing on drug war killings since the campaign started in 2016.

“It is really about time na pag usapan ‘yung naganap na war on drugs nung panahon ng Duterte administration and if there are violations again during the Marcos administration. Gusto po natin malaman kung ano itsura ngayon nitong usapin na ito,” Brosas said.

(It’s really about time to talk about what happened on the war on drugs during the Duterte administration and if there are violations against during the Marcos administration. We need to know what the situation looks like right now.)

She also thanked Abante for the “first-ever” hearing on extrajudicial killings (EJKs).

“This is historic. First-ever, no, na committee hearing about these EJKs,” Brosas said.

Meanwhile, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra welcomed the committee hearing.

Guevarra served as the Justice Secretary during the latter half of Duterte’s term from 2018 to 2019. He replaced former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II.

“As Solicitor General, I wish to express my support because finally, finally, the legislative branch has done something, has done its share to investigate these alleged abuses during the war on drugs. Even though in my opinion this may have come quite belatedly, it is never too late in the interest of justice,” he said.

Cover up

Meanwhile, Guevarra denied the accusation leveled against him by ACT Teachers party-list France Castro that he is “covering up” drug war killings.

Castro questioned Guevarra on why the Department of Justice (DOJ) under his administration had only reviewed 52 drug war cases out of more than 6,000 victims. 

“Parang naisip ko, Mr. Chair, na part din kayo ng cover up,” Castro said.

“Nakikita ko yun kasi hindi kayo nag imbestiga in full. Hindi niyo talagang inano, Mr. Chair. Kasi kung talagang nag imbestiga kayo in full 52 lang ‘yung sinabi niyo na na imbestigahan. Nagbe-base pa kayo sa PNP na isa sa mga culprit dito sa EJK,” she later added.

(The thought has occurred to me, Mr. Chair, that you part of the cover up. I can see this because you did not fully investigate. If you investigated in full, you only mentioned 52 cases. You are basing on the PNP which is one of the culprits in EJK.)

Guevarra, for his part, denied being involved in any cover up.

“First of all, I have to categorically deny, for the record, that the DOJ, or particularly myself, was involved in a cover up. I vehemently deny that, your honor, for the record,” he said.

He also denied that the DOJ’s probe relied solely on data from the Philippine National Police.

Guevarra said that aside from the 52 cases, the DOJ also reviewed 250 other cases.— DVM/RF, GMA Integrated News