DOJ collating info on Duterte’s war on drugs

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice is gathering information on the drug war campaign of former president Rodrigo Duterte after the International Criminal Court pre-trial chamber asked the Philippine government to comment on ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan’s request to resume investigation, DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said.

“We are busy collating data and the results of the investigations being conducted about the drug war,” Remulla told reporters yesterday in a Viber message when asked about the DOJ’s approach on the ICC request for government to comment on the possible resumption of the probe into Duterte’s drug war.

Remulla added that they will also meet with the Department of Foreign Affairs to discuss the matter.

But he recently said in an interview that the Philippines cannot be subject to ICC’s investigation over the alleged killings in the drug war campaign of Duterte since the country is no longer a member of the criminal court, having officially quit the tribunal in March 2019.

“First of all, we are no longer a member of the ICC. We withdrew our membership. That is likely one thing we will put in the discussion because if they will enter our country, what will be their reason if we’re no longer part of the International Criminal Court?” he said in Filipino in a television interview.

If the Philippines will become an ICC member again, Remulla said that they will have to look into it carefully as he emphasized that he does not know yet what the policy would be, but that they are sure about strengthening the country’s judicial system.

“Why do other people have to lord it over or criticize what we’re doing? Don’t we have our own system to enforce our laws? That’s why I won’t include the ICC in initial discussions because we’re not a member,” he added.

The ICC recently invited the Philippine government to provide “additional observations” by Sept. 8, 2022 following the request of Khan to resume investigation on Duterte’s war on drugs, which tallied more than 6,000 deaths in six years. It also invited drug war victims and their lawyers to observe the proceedings.

Conviction rate

Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, meanwhile, is urging local government units (LGUs) to employ strategies to help avoid technicalities and improve conviction rate of criminal cases in the country.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Abalos will appeal to the League of Cities of the Philippines composed of city and municipal mayors around the country to help solve the issue.

Abalos said that LGUs can be creative and resourceful in helping support the country’s criminal justice system.

Earlier, the DOJ said that conviction rate of drug cases stands at a measly 21 percent out of the total 291,393 cases filed since 2016.

He noted that the technicalities regarding mandatory witness has been impeding conviction in drug cases and could be addressed by LGUs.

“So if you look at the cases under inventory, many are being dismissed because of lack of witnesses. If we are going to wait for the law to be amended, that will take time,” he said in mixed English and Filipino.

The former Mandaluyong mayor said during his time at city hall, they assigned an employee to serve as witness during drug raids.

“I will be requesting from the mayors and also from other public officials that they can maybe do this to help in these cases because most are dismissed… This is just one instance where the law created is a bit difficult but we have to find a way (to implement it),” he added.

The DILG chief has already ordered the retraining of over 22,000 police investigators to improve their capabilities and skills to improve the conviction rate.

“Police investigation serves as a critical component in law enforcement because this single act will determine whether the case would be dismissed or not. It is important that our police investigators are well-versed in criminal law and procedures so they could conduct an effective and efficient investigation,” Abalos said.

He noted that part of the DILG and DOJ’s plan to improve the justice system is by having enforcement and prosecution officers work together to minimize criminality.

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has vowed to work with government agencies to improve its conviction rate of criminals arrested in law enforcement operations.

PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao said yesterday they welcome the support by the DOJ and the DILG in resolving issues that continue to hound the resolution of cases.

“Integral to the career growth of our police officers is to train them on how to handle investigation and build strong cases. We commit to become better in this aspect so justice can really be served,” Danao said in a statement.

Remulla, in a press conference on Thursday, underscored the need for the police and prosecutors to act harmoniously so that cases filed at the prosecutor’s level will be appreciated. –   Romina Cabrera, Emmanuel Tupas