Duterte orders DILG: Prepare drug war report

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to prepare a report on the war on drugs even as he maintained that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no jurisdiction over the case.

During a meeting of the government’s pandemic task force on Monday, DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said anti-narcotics operations against suspected drug traffickers continued despite the pandemic.

Año said a total of 940 stings were conducted from Dec. 5 to 11, which resulted in the arrest of 1,253 suspects and confiscation of about P72.87 million worth of drugs.

Duterte asked Año if the government could make an inventory of drugs seized during his presidency.

“It’s intended to apprise the human rights advocates. Maybe when the time comes, we can show to the ICC the reasons why we are not, why I am not going to bow down to their jurisdiction, because they would see the enormity of the problem of shabu in the country,” the President said.

Año vowed to produce the drug war report.

Police have confiscated an estimated P79 billion to P80 billion worth of shabu, according to Año.

“I will come up with a detailed report in our next meeting, Mr. President,” the DILG chief said.

More than 6,000 people have died since Duterte launched the war on drugs, which according to human rights advocates has encouraged extrajudicial killings and other abuses.

An ICC pre-trial chamber has allowed an investigation into the deaths linked to the drug war, but the Duterte administration maintained that the tribunal has no jurisdiction over the issue.

Officials argued that the Rome Statute, which formed the ICC, did not satisfy publication requirements and therefore did not take effect in the Philippines.

The government has asked ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan to suspend the probe, saying actions are being undertaken to look into the drug war deaths.

The ICC has suspended the probe, but requested the Philippine government to provide information about its investigation.

In his previous speeches, Duterte insisted that he would not face trial before the ICC.