Bato, Go ready to face crimes against humanity case

MANILA, Philippines — Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Bong Go said they are ready to face a case for crimes against humanity in local courts after the House of Representatives’ quad committee recommended charges against them for their role in the deadly war on drugs.

They criticized the House quad committee for linking them to an alleged reward system for every slain drug suspect in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war.

“We already expected it. The kiss-ass members in the House just want to demolish our chances of getting reelected next year,” Dela Rosa said over dzRH on Wednesday.

Dela Rosa, who also faces a separate crimes against humanity case with Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, said the House quad committee found no evidence against them in its recommendation for them to be charged with violating Republic Act 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and other Crimes against Humanity.

“They are moving heaven and Earth to make life difficult for us. We are ready to face the case before the Department of Justice,” said Dela Rosa, who implemented Duterte’s drug war as his Philippine National Police (PNP) chief.

Go, for his part, denied he is a criminal involved in any genocidal act. “We leave it up to the Philippine courts to decide if ever cases are filed. Let the Filipino people decide if they gained from the peace and order during the term of former president Duterte,” Go said.

“The allegations made during the quad committee are all hearsay and baseless. I do not look like a criminal,” he added.

Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte said yesterday that he is ready to face any investigation over allegations that he is involved in illegal activities.

“I welcome any investigation to be conducted by an impartial and credible body, as I have nothing to hide. I remain committed to clearing our name and confident that the truth will expose the baseless nature of these accusations,” Duterte said.

“However, I must stress that any call for investigation must be based on credible evidence, not on pure hearsay testimony from convicted felon like Jimmy Guban,” Duterte said. “To clear my name, I have already filed several perjury charges against convicted felon Jimmy Guban.

“If Congress is truly serious about addressing the proliferation of illegal drugs, they must begin by investigating those listed in the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) watchlist during the Duterte administration,” he added.

Case filing up to DOJ

Meanwhile, President Marcos said yesterday it would be up to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to decide whether charges should be filed against former president Duterte and his allies in relation to alleged extrajudicial killings tied to his crackdown on illegal drugs.

Asked to comment on the quad comm’s recommendation, Marcos said the DOJ has to make an assessment on whether charges should be filed against Duterte and the other persons mentioned in the report.

“The quad comm has a recommendation. That’s how the process works. When they do an oversight hearing, they have findings, they will forward it to the DOJ with their own recommendations as to how to handle the findings in the hearings. So, we will go now to DOJ,” the President said in an interview at Villamor Air Base.

“The DOJ will look at it and see if it is time to file cases, what cases to file, how to produce the evidence that we will need to actually build the case up... There are a lot more things that have to be assessed thoroughly like what cases can be filed, whether the recommendation of the committees from the House is heading towards the right direction,” he added.

Also accused of violating the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes against Humanity were former police chiefs Oscar Albayalde and Debold Sinas, former colonels Royina Garma and Edilberto Leonardo and Palace aide Herminia Espino.

Over 6,000 drug suspects were killed during Duterte’s drug war, according to official figures. While various sectors condemn the campaign as a violation of human rights, Duterte justified the crackdown, saying it was necessary to save the youth from the drug menace.

The quad committee’s hearings on extrajudicial killings (EJKs) tied to the drug war were held from Aug. 16 to Dec. 12.

Meanwhile, militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) urged the Marcos administration to cooperate with the ICC after the House quad committee said former president Duterte and seven others should be indicted for EJKs in his bloody war on drugs.

Albayalde refused to comment when asked for his side on the quad comm’s recommendation. — Alexis Romero, Jose Rodel Clapano, Diana Lhyd Suelto, Emmanuel Tupas