Resolution backing ex-President Duterte vs ICC ‘drug war’ probe filed at Senate

FILE PHOTO: Actor Robin Padilla with President Rodrigo Duterte. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — A resolution defending former President Rodrigo Duterte against the impending “drug war” investigation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) was filed in the Senate on Monday.

Senator Robin Padilla lodged Senate Resolution No. 488 to protect Duterte, who was accused of crimes against humanity due to his brutal war on drugs before the ICC.

READ: ICC resumes full-blown probe of Duterte drug war

“[F]ormer President Rodrigo Roa Duterte believes that the widespread, serious, and rampant illegal drug problem that has infected every nook and corner of the country is an existential threat to the country’s social fabric,” the resolution states.

“Resolved by the Senate, as it is hereby resolved, [t]o declare unequivocal defense of Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, the 16th President of the Republic of the Philippines, in any investigation or prosecution by the ICC,” it adds.

The neophyte senator reiterated in his resolution the assertion of the government and other Duterte allies that the Philippines has a “functioning and independent judicial system.”

For Padilla, Duterte’s leadership paved the way for “remarkable accomplishments” brought by his campaigns against illegal drugs, insurgency, and corruption, among others.

He even claimed that peace and order in the Philippines “considerably improved” due to the Duterte administration’s “holistic and whole nation approach” in stopping the drug menace and insurgency. Padilla believed that these Duterte administration campaigns led to a rise in exports and investments in the country.

Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is now a Pampanga representative and House senior deputy speaker, and other lawmakers filed a similar resolution at the lower chamber.

READ: Arroyo rallies House to defend Duterte vs ICC drug war probe

In House Resolution No. 780, Arroyo and the 18 representatives insist that the Philippines still had a “functioning and independent judicial system” that could look into charges that Duterte committed crimes against humanity in his bloody campaign against illegal drugs.

Aside from Duterte, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is likewise accused of crimes against humanity before the ICC. Dela Rosa was Duterte’s Philippine National Police chief when the drug war was launched in 2016.

In 2021, the ICC launched an investigation into Duterte’s drug war.

After two months, the inquiry was halted upon the request of the Philippine government as it explained that the Duterte administration was looking into allegations of extrajudicial killings and other atrocities in the conduct of the anti-illegal drug drive.

READ: ICC suspends PH drug war probe, warned of Duterte ‘ruse’

But the ICC resumed its probe last month as it is “not satisfied that the Philippines is undertaking relevant investigations that would warrant a deferral of the Court’s investigations on the basis of the complementarity principle.”

According to government data, the drug war death toll reached 6,248 as of April 30. Human rights organizations, however, asserted that the total was actually more than 20,000.

Senate Resolution No. 488

Senate Resolution No. 488

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