Duterte dares ICC: 'Start the investigation tomorrow'

Former President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday dared the International Criminal Court (ICC) to come to the Philippines as soon as tomorrow to investigate him over the alleged crimes against humanity in his anti-drug campaign. 

“I am asking the ICC to hurry up and if possible, if they can come here and start the investigation tomorrow,” Duterte said during the House QuadComm probe on drug war killings during his administration.

“This issue has been left hanging for so many years. Baka mamatay na ako, hindi na nila ako ma-imbestigahan. [That’s] why I am asking the ICC, through you, na magpunta na sila rito,” Duterte added.

Duterte then said he will be facing the consequences of such an ICC probe.

“If I am found guilty, I will go to prison and rot there for all time,” Duterte said.

“The ICC does not scare me a bit, they can come here anytime. Maybe you want to make it easy for them to investigate. [Let them] start the investigation. I would welcome that... I did it for my country and for the young people in drugs. [I have] no excuse, [have] no apology. Bigyan mo na ako pera, ako na mismo magpunta roon,” he added.

Former President Duterte and other top officials of the Duterte administration are already being investigated by the ICC in connection with the alleged commission of crimes against humanity for systematic drug war deaths in police operations during his tenure.

These deaths reached around 6,000 based on police records, but human rights groups contend that the deaths reached as much as 30,000, including vigilante killings, due to Duterte's policy.

LIVE BLOG: House probe on EJKs (Nov. 13, 2024)

Sara Duterte reacts

Meanwhile, Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, said she does not expect the QuadComm hearing to be fair, citing her own experiences in the House of Representatives.

“Of course not. No, I do not expect fairness…because it’s clearly a political persecution,” she said.

“They use their rules according to their pleasure. [The] rules ng House of Representatives, makikita natin kahit unconstitutional na ang rules ay ginagamit pa rin [we could see that they use unconstitutional rules]. Kahit wala sa rules ay gumagawa sila ng [even if it’s not in the rules, they make] rules as they go along, as they do their hearings,” she added.

Sara Duterte said that she has not yet talked with her father recently. 

Despite this, the vice president said she does not worry about her father who is still answering inquiries from House members about the drug war.

“Do I worry about the former president? I don’t think na pupunta siya diyan kung sa tingin niya hindi niya kaya or mahina siya [he’ll attend the hearing if he thinks he can’t do it or he’s not okay] health-wise. So he’ll be okay,” Sara said.

Asked for a comment regarding the older Duterte’s dare to the ICC, the vice president said it should be interpreted as is.

“Exactly as it is. Gusto niya na siguro ipagsabay na imbestigasyon ng QuadComm at ICC sa EJK para siguro magawa na at matapos na,” she said.

(He probably wants the QuadComm investigation and the ICC’s investigation on the extrajudicial killings to be done together so this can end already.) 

Davao

During Wednesday's probe, Duterte claimed that he has "killed" at least six people.

“Ako? Marami. Mga six o seven. Ewan ko kung natuluyan yun...hindi ko na na follow up kung natuluyan ang iba,” Duterte said when asked by House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas of Gabriela  if he has killed a person himself.

(I killed many people, at least six. I don't know if the others really died.)

Later in the hearing, Duterte said he also killed a lot of crooked police officials in his bailiwick of Davao city.

“Marami akong pinatay na pulis sa Davao [city] na kriminal...magtanong kayo sa Davao [city]  go around, ako mismo ang humirit, harap-harapan. Marami akong pinatay na pulis na nagkidnap, nang rape,” Duterte said.

(I killed a lot of criminal cops in Davao. You can ask around there. I did the killing myself...killing of police involved in kidnapping, rape.)

However, Duterte also reiterated that he has only ordered the police to kill criminal suspects “if they present a violent resistance.” 

“You can kill the criminal if you are personally in danger of losing your life,” Duterte said.

Jurisdiction

Duterte in August called out the ICC for its scrutiny of alleged EJKs during his administration's drug war.

"Ano 'yang ICC na 'yan? I do not recognize that. Ang tanong ko muna is jurisdiction. Abogado ako eh, jurisdiction... Fiscal ako, so when I face a case at the court, every day, magtanong ako. Do I have the power? Do I have jurisdiction dito sa kasong pino-prosecute ko,” he said.

(What is that ICC? I do not recognize that. My question is the jurisdiction. I am a lawyer, so jurisdiction... I am a Fiscal, so when I face a case at court everyday, I will ask. Do I have the power? Do I have jurisdiction in this case that I am prosecuting?)

He also said that there were killings that also occurred in other nations that the ICC had not yet acted on.

Marcos' stance

Meanwhile, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. earlier this year said that his government will not serve any arrest warrant from the ICC against Duterte.

"We don't recognize the warrant that they will send to us...That's a no," Marcos said when asked if the government would hand over an arrest warrant to his predecessor in case the ICC issues one.

"We are well within international law when we take the position of not recognizing the jurisdiction of ICC in the Philippines," he noted, reiterating that only countries with no functioning judicial and law enforcement system need the ICC's intervention.

The President also said in February last year that he would not cooperate with the ICC investigation. He also said that he considers the ICC a threat to Philippine sovereignty.

ICC monitoring

The International Criminal Court has said that it was closely monitoring the latest developments related to the controversial anti-illegal drug campaign during Duterte's term. 

"The ICC Office of the Prosecutor has an ongoing investigation in relation to the situation in the Philippines," the ICC told GMA Integrated News.

"This investigation focuses on crimes allegedly committed on the territory of the Philippines between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019 in the context of the so-called 'War on Drugs' campaign,'" the ICC added.

The ICC said that its investigations "are built from wide range of sources" including communications, information from States, international partners and civil society, open-source information, and the direct collection of evidence, such as interviews with witnesses.

—With Giselle Ombay/VAL, GMA Integrated News