Impeachment is a political process, but the legal system cannot be tainted with politics. Members of the House quad committee have said they will continue their probe into the abuses committed in the course of the bloody campaign against illegal drugs launched under the watch of Rodrigo Duterte.
Surveys have shown high public approval for the work of the quad comm. The transcripts of the hearings are expected to be used in an investigation related to Duterte’s war on drugs. The probe is being carried out by the Department of Justice for possible violations of Republic Act 9851, the law enacted in December 2009, covering crimes against international humanitarian law, genocide and other crimes against humanity.
The International Criminal Court has also reportedly accessed the quad comm records. The ICC is years ahead of the Philippine government in investigating Duterte and several of his former anti-crime enforcers for possible crimes against humanity in his crackdown on illegal drugs when he was mayor of Davao City and when he became president.
Graft-related criminal cases are also being eyed against Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, in connection with her utilization of confidential funds in the Office of the Vice President and when she was concurrent secretary of the Department of Education. The issue was the subject of a separate probe by another panel of the House of Representatives, the committee on good government and public accountability.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said yesterday that the DOJ would also continue the probe on the public statement of Vice President Duterte that she had put out a contract on President Marcos, his wife Liza and his cousin, Speaker Martin Romualdez in case the Vice President herself is assassinated.
These are possible grave offenses that cannot be swept under the rug. Because the persons involved served or are serving at the top levels of government, pursuing accountability gains more urgency. Failure to do so would guarantee impunity and the institutionalization of wrongdoing by those entrusted to lead the country.