Ex-President Digong dares ICC to investigate him immediately
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 13 Nov) – Former President Rodrigo R. Duterte challenged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to expedite its investigation of his administration’s bloody “war on drugs” and that if the international tribunal finds him guilty, he is willing to “go to prison and rot there for all time.”
Duterte said this during the inquiry on extra-judicial killings (EJKs) of the Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order & Safety, Human Rights and Public Accounts of the House of Representatives (Quad Comm) on Wednesday.
Contrary to his previous pronouncements that he does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC, the former chief executive said that he is unafraid of the international tribunal, saying, “They can come here and start the investigation tomorrow.”
He asked the ICC to investigate him immediately because he is already old and the “issue has been left hanging for so many years.”
The House inquiry was pushed through on Nov. 13 after the Quad Comm drew flak for canceling it when Duterte, who was a key resource speaker, confirmed attendance to the investigation to shed light on his controversial policy against illegal drugs.
“The ICC does not scare me a bit. They can come here anytime. I suppose you would want to make it easy for them to visit and start the investigation. I would welcome that. Alam mo, wala man tayong taguan eh (You know, we’re not hiding anything). No excuses, no apology. If I go to hell, so be it,” he said.
Duterte, who served as President from June 30, 2016 until June 30, 2022, maintained that during his administration, he did what he had to do to protect the country and save the children from the drug menace.
“You will never know the effect of drugs on the children. You will never know the sacrifices of the parents. You will never understand the suffering of a parent or a brother or sister,” he said.
During the interpellation of Kabataan party-list Representative Raoul Manuel, Duterte told the lawmaker to give him money because he would visit ICC in the Netherlands and have himself investigated by the ICC.
“Give me money, and I will go to ICC. I will have myself investigated. They are taking a long time. Hurry up. Because I am old, I might die; you might miss the pleasure of seeing me standing before the court and hearing the judgment,” Duterte said in a mixed Tagalog and English.
During the inquiry, Duterte reiterated his disdain for the criminals, particularly drug lords and drug addicts, even reiterating his controversial pronouncement to “shoot them dead” if they resist the police officers.
Duterte said he would take full legal responsibility for the consequences related to the implementation of the war on drugs.
Maria Kristina Conti, secretary general of the National Union of People’s Lawyers, said even drug suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“If there is no conviction, therefore, all those who died in that ‘war on drugs’ without that conviction were innocent. I want to point out that the Philippines has suspended the implementation of the death penalty, so actually, no one should die in the context of any legal proceeding,” she said.
Duterte stated that he did not order the police officers to kill the innocent victims and that he admitted to killing police scalawags, particularly those involved in illegal drugs, kidnapping, and other crimes, when he was mayor of Davao City.
Before he was elected president in 2016, Duterte served as mayor from 1988 to 1998, representative of the first district from 1998 to 2001, mayor from 2001 to 2010, vice mayor from 2010 to 2013, and mayor from 2013 to 2016. Last Oct. 7, Duterte filed his certificate of candidacy for mayor with his youngest child, incumbent mayor Sebastian Duterte, as vice mayor.
“These police [scalawags], they have weapons, and they can easily commit a crime, and they have no fear because civilians can’t do anything. That’s why, I am angry with the abusive police. So, in Davao, just to make a ‘sample,’ I killed them just so I could tell them to stop,” he said.
To keep Davao peaceful, Duterte said he had to deal first with the criminals within the police force.
Duterte snubbed the House inquiry last Nov. 7, stating that his presence was “no longer necessary,” which angered the members of the Quad Comm. They said that the former President could be scared to face an inquiry in aid of legislation.
The former President believed that the invitation was a “mere political ploy,” casting doubt on the “integrity, independence, and probity” of the Quad Comm to conduct an investigation.
It can be recalled that Duterte first declined to attend the hearing on Oct. 22, as he was not feeling well and needed rest after attending several engagements in Metro Manila, but he vowed to attend the House inquiry on any date after Nov. 1. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
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