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Escudero: Duterte’s arrest did not compromise PH sovereignty
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero believes that the Philippine sovereignty was not compromised when the Philippine authorities surrendered former President Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“Hindi,” Escudero said point blank when asked about this argument during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.
“Una, mga Pilipino ang nagsampa ng kaso sa ICC, hindi mga dayuhan. Pilipino rin ang nagdesisyon, sabi nga ni Secretary Remulla, hindi ba, na gawin ito, wala namang dayuhan ang nanghimasok doon,” he explained.
“Wala namang pending na kaso dito laban kay dating Pangulong Duterte para sabihin mong tinanggalan natin ng jurisdiction 'yung Pilipinong huwes na magpasya sa kasong ito at pinasa natin sa dayuhan dahil nga walang pending case,” he added.
Escudero then compared Duterte’s case to that of former Negros Oriental representative Arnie Teves who has a pending case in the Philippines and is being extradited from Timor Leste.
“May pending na kaso dito (si Teves). Sa kaso ni dating Pangulong Duterte, walang pending na kaso dito para harapin niya at ‘yon ang piniling venue ng mga biktima at nagrereklamo para makakuha sila ng hustisya,” he said.
Vice President Sara Duterte earlier slammed the arrest of her father, saying this is “a blatant affront to our sovereignty and an insult to every Filipino who believes in our nation’s independence.”
Former President Duterte is currently in ICC’s custody in The Hague, Netherlands after Philippine authorities served the warrant of arrest issued by the international tribunal.
In a press briefing late in the evening of March 11, President Marcos said the arrest was done “because Interpol asked us to do it and we have commitments.”
During Duterte’s term in 2019, the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute or the treaty that established the ICC, after the tribunal started a probe into his drug war
According to the arrest warrant, the ICC pre-trial chamber found reasonable grounds to believe he was "individually responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder" in connection with the killings blamed on his war on drugs.
It stated that the Duterte Death Squad (DDS) and Philippine law enforcement personnel under his leadership targeted persons allegedly involved in drug-related criminal activities.
Government records show that there were at least 6,200 drug suspects killed in police operations from June 2016 to November 2021, but several human rights groups have refuted this and say that the number may have reached as much as 30,000 due to unreported related killings.—AOL, GMA Integrated News
