ICC tags 9 as co-perpetrators of Duterte in drug war

Nine individuals were tagged as co-perpetrators of former president Rodrigo Duterte as shown in the application of warrant of arrest posted in the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) website. 

According to Ian Cruz’s report in “24 Oras” on Monday, the names of the co-perpetrators were redacted for their safety in the public document by the ICC. 

But there were particular individuals who were named because of their role in the previous administration’s controversial campaign against illegal drugs. 

Among them was former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and now senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa. He was identified as the architect of the “Oplan Tokhang” which was first implemented in Davao City, when he was then the local police chief. 

Also named was former Davao City Police chief Vicente Danao, Dela Rosa’s predecessor.

Vice President Sara Duterte was also identified in the background of her father. To recall, she served as Davao City mayor from 2010 to 2013, while her father was her vice mayor. 

In the application for warrant, the types of evidence were identified. Among them were the witness statements, speeches and public statements of the former president, his ordinances and memoranda, documents from the PNP and other government agencies, and the drug watch list. 

Also cited in the document were Duterte’s public admissions such as stating he allegedly killed 1,700 individuals when he was a mayor; when he claimed to be involved with the Davao Death Squad (DDS) and allegedly funded the group; and also cited was his statement where he said that his only sin was conducting extrajudicial killings (EJKs). 

The document also noted his statements during his inauguration as president in 2016. After taking the oath, he warned of killing individuals involved in illegal drugs. 

According to the lawyers of the drug war victims, they are handling 6,000 cases. But only 43 cases will be presented before ICC - 19 of which were cases when Duterte was still Davao City mayor and 24 others when he was already the president. 

The victims’ lawyer only selected the emblematic cases or those that highlighted the brutality of the war on drugs. 

“It's almost impossible to present all of the 6,000 deaths that were admitted during police operations. It's also almost impossible to present all the 15,000 to 30,000 deaths according to CSOs,” said lawyer Gilbert Andres. “That's why the prosecutor, based on his prosecutorial discretion, chose these emblematic events or murders.” —Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News