Rep. Edcel Lagman —File photo by Niño Jesus Orbeta, Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines — Two opposition lawmakers are questioning President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s use of former Sen. Leila de Lima’s recent acquittal as proof that the justice system is working — so the government need not cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) probe of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war.
“The much-belated acquittal of former Senator Leila De Lima of all the Duterte-fabricated drug charges against her does not evince that the Philippine justice system is working for all drug offenders and victims,” Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman, the Liberal Party president, said in a statement on Friday.
“As long as former President Rodrigo Duterte, the principal instigator of the drug-related extrajudicial killings is not indicted before the proper Philippine court, the Philippine justice system still fails to work for all the perpetrators and their victims,” he added.
Not a reason for refusing to cooperate
Lagman’s statement came a day after Marcos, in an ambush interview with reporters, said that de Lima’s acquittal proved that the Philippine justice system was working.
“Maybe this is something we should show the ICC. The judiciary is working properly. Our investigative services are working properly and former senator De Lima has been acquitted. I don’t know what further comments there could be,” he said.
But Lagman said that a working justice system could not be used as a reason for refusing to cooperate with ICC.
“Complementarity of a ‘working justice system’ cannot be invoked by the Philippines for exemption from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in the case of the complaint for alleged crimes against humanity committed by Duterte and his principal cohorts,” he noted.
Marcos is ‘misguided’
ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro meanwhile said that Marcos’ reasoning is “misguided”, noting that while they are happy with de Lima’s acquittal, it is only one of thousands of drug-related incidents.
Castro said that for most of these drug-related incidents, no probe was conducted nor charges were filed against officers.
ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro —Photo from the House of Representatives
“President Marcos Jr.’s attempt to use Sen. De Lima’s case as a shield against ICC intervention is not only misguided but also a grave insult to the thousands of victims of the brutal drug war,” Castro said.
“Sen. De Lima’s case is just one out of thousands of drug-related cases during Duterte’s bogus drug war, most of which resulted in the death of the supposed suspects. Even if we add de Lima’s case to the 52 cases that the PNP and the Department of Justice probed, it’s not even 1 percent of the 6,000 drug war deaths based on government figures, even less so when we use data from human rights organizations,” she added.
According to Castro, Marcos’ stand also appears to show his low standards when it comes to human rights.
“It seems the president’s standards are too low in terms of upholding justice and human rights if that’s the case. That’s why it’s not surprising that the military and the police continue to be brutal, targeting farmers and indigenous people who only want to defend their right to their own land,” Castro explained in Filipino.
“The Filipino people deserve a comprehensive investigation that addresses the full scope of human rights violations committed during the drug war. The ICC’s involvement is crucial to ensure that all perpetrators, regardless of their position or influence, are held accountable for their actions,” she said.
Under House scrutiny
The drug war, implemented by the Duterte administration, is currently under scrutiny by the House of Representatives’ Committee on Human Rights. Duterte and his first police chief, now Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, have been invited to the hearing, but both have begged off.
On Wednesday, the committee held its fourth hearing on the issue, which focused on police officers implementing the drug war. During the discussions, a police officer previously assigned with the Batasan Police Station in the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) was grilled after he failed to explain how the past administration’s Oplan Double Barrel is implemented.
Previously, the committee also listened to Christine Pascual, the mother of 17-year-old Joshua Pascual Laxamana, whom police officers killed in Pangasinan during the drug war.
Cops said the minor fired at them, but Pascual insists that Laxamana was merely coming home from a DotA tournament in Baguio City and was just caught in the middle of the operation.
According to Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., who chairs the committee, the testimonies show that the drug war was “deceitful.”
These developments have led people to urge Marcos again to start cooperating with the ICC, where a complaint of crimes against humanity was filed against Duterte.