Lawmakers renew call for ICC probe after Duterte's admission of funding Davao killings
MANILA, Philippines — Makabayan bloc lawmakers have called on the Marcos administration to support the International Criminal Court’s probe into the so-called war on drugs after former President Rodrigo Duterte publicly admitted to bankrolling the killing sprees in Davao City.
House Resolution 1393, a joint resolution filed by the three-member bloc, urges the lower chamber to collectively urge the president to clear the way for the ICC to investigate Duterte in connection to the alleged extrajudicial killings carried out when he was president and, earlier, Davao City mayor.
“With former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s televised admission of ordering extrajudicial killings and financing them with his confidential and intelligence funds, it is imperative that we allow the ICC to investigate his crimes,” said Rep. France Castro (ACT Teachers).
“We urge the House leadership to support and co-author this resolution to show that we do not tolerate EJKs (extra-judicial killings) and that we are working for justice to be served to his victims, and their families,” Castro added.
Duterte last week said in his show on SMNI Network that he used the intelligence funds allocated to Davao City to "have (them) killed,” referring to extrajudicial killings carried out by the infamous Davao Death Squad.
Former senator Antonio Trillanes said on Tuesday that a copy of the video has been sent to the ICC as additional evidence. The YouTube video with the interview is no longer available on SMNI’s channel.
Duterte’s statement was delivered during his tirade about the House of Representatives’ decision to reallocate the confidential funds sought by his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, to agencies focused on the defense of the West Philippine Sea.
RELATED: House scraps confidential funds for OVP, DepEd, DICT, DA, DFA
"This admission by Duterte himself serves as strong evidence against him and should prompt the Marcos Jr. administration to allow ICC to investigate the matter under the principle of complementarity," Rep. Arlene Brosas (Gabriela Women’s Party) said.
Brosas added that there was no “genuine recourse against the killings in Davao City while he was mayor.”
The principle of complementarity, as outlined in the Rome Statute which established the ICC, means that the ICC can only exercise its jurisdiction when a country’s own judicial system fails to effectively investigate and prosecute international crimes.
The ICC in July gave its prosecutors the green light to resume investigating the alleged crimes against humanity committed during the conduct of anti-illegal drug operations under Duterte's leadership.
Depending on evidence that ICC prosecutors would be able to gather during their probe, the international court can seek the issuance of arrest warrants or summonses, possibly against the campaign’s chief architects, Duterte and his former police chief, now Sen. Ronald dela Rosa.
Set up in 2002 to probe the world’s worst crimes, the ICC is regarded as a “court of last resort” and steps in only if countries are unwilling or unable to prosecute offenders.
2015 admission
During his presidency, Duterte had repeatedly admitted to ordering killings in his hometown, at one point saying that killings during his term as mayor were an "investment" to make the city peaceful.
RELATED: Duterte: 'You have to kill to make your city peaceful'
Duterte also said in a radio interview in 2015 that he had personally killed at least three individuals suspected of kidnapping and rape in Davao City, as reported by international news outlets BBC, Al Jazeera and local news outlet ABS-CBN News.
At least 6,252 were killed in anti-drug operations under the Duterte administration, according to data released by the government. But rights groups say that up to 30,000 may have been killed, including innocent victims. — with reports by Audrey Morallo and Gaea Katreena Cabico
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