Fisherfolk group urges Marcos to cooperate in ICC probe vs Duterte
MANILA, Philippines — A militant fisherfolk group on Sunday urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to “accommodate” the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its probe against former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs.
This came after the pre-trial chamber of the International Criminal Court on Friday (Manila time) granted its prosecutor’s request to resume the investigation of the war on drugs.
READ: ICC resumes probe on PH’s drug war
In a statement, Pamalakaya said Marcos could prove that impunity won’t persist under his administration by holding Duterte accountable over crimes against humanity.
“Sinusuportahan namin ang positibong hakbang ng ICC na ipagpatuloy ang imbestigasyon kaugnay sa mga kaso ng paglabag sa karapatang pantao ni Duterte. Krusyal ang hakbang na ito para mapanagot si Duterte sa malaking krimen nito sa sangkatauhan na nag-ugat sa huwad na giyera kontra iligal na droga at iba pang polisiyang nagbunga ng malalang pag-abuso sa karapatang pantao,” said Pamalakaya National spokesperson Ronnel Arambulo.
(We support the ICC’s positive move to continue the investigation related to Duterte’s human rights violations. This step is crucial to hold Duterte accountable for his great crime against humanity that has its roots in the fake war against illegal drugs and other policies that have resulted in severe human rights abuses.)
“Sa panig naman ni Pangulong Marcos, dapat nitong paunlakan ang ICC at hayaang gumulong ang imbestigasyon. Hinahamon namin siyang tapusin na ang kultura ng kawalang-pananagutan at hayaang manaig ang hustisya,” he added.
(On the part of President Marcos, it should accommodate the ICC and let the investigation roll. We challenge him to end the culture of irresponsibility and let justice prevail.)
He also urged Marcos to disclaim and deny the earlier statements of Justice Secretary Remulla against ICC as the official stand of the Marcos administration.
“Kung hindi ay kasama ring mananagot si Marcos bilang instrumento ng kultura ng kawalang-pananagutan at direktang hadlang sa hustisya,” Arambulo said.
(Otherwise, Marcos will also be held accountable as an instrument of the culture of impunity and direct obstruction of justice.)
As of May 31, the government said 6,252 drug suspects have died in legitimate anti-drug operations.
READ: Days before Duterte admin leaves, over 25K barangays cleared, 10K still drug-infested
Many human rights groups, however, claim that the actual number of individuals slain during the drug war can be between 12,000 to 30,000, including the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which found that at least 8,600 died in the drug war as of March 2020.
A University of the Philippines (UP) study on July 23, 2021, even revealed that the drug war had killed an estimated two people each day.
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