Ex-Pres. Duterte to Marcos: Heed legal counsel’s advice on ICC probe

MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte told President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to heed the guidance of his legal counsel concerning the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into drug-related killings during his term.

“I would like the President to seek the advice of his legal counsel,” said Duterte in a press conference late Tuesday night.

“Kung ano ang sabihin ng mga abogado niya sa Malacañan, sundin niya. Ako, I can take care of my own,” he added.

(Whatever his lawyers in Malacañan advise him, he should follow it. As for me, I can handle my own.)

Duterte had this to say even after Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV previously asserted that ICC investigators are already on the verge of issuing an arrest warrant against the former president as the main accused, along with Senator Bato dela Rosa and Vice President Sara Duterte as the secondary and tertiary accused.

READ: ICC in PH last Dec; arrest order vs Duterte soon – Trillanes

Duterte then went on another tirade against the ICC, questioning where they were when the country was suffering from illegal drugs.

“Anong pakialam nila? When my country was being eaten by drugs and everything, andito ba sila?” said Duterte.

(What do they care? Were they here when my country was being plagued by drugs and everything?)

“Pakialam kayo ng pakialam, hindi naman kayo nakakatulong. Look, idiot, if you are not really an idiot, because you are an idiot, sino ba naman gustong pumatay sa kapwa tao niya? Kung may gusto man ako patayin, kayo. Kayong mga pumunta sa bayan ko,” he added.

(You keep meddling even if you’re not contributing anything. Look, idiot, if you are not really an idiot, because you are an idiot, who in their right mind would want to kill their fellow human beings? If I had anyone in mind to be killed, it would be you. Those who came to my country.)

Meanwhile, Marcos previously asserted that the Philippine government will not assist in the ICC’s investigation into Duterte’s drug war.

He also recently expressed that there is no chance for him to change his mind when it comes to allowing the ICC to conduct a probe into the war on drugs, adding that not even evidence could change his mind — as it was a question of ICC’s jurisdiction which the country is no longer a part of since 2019.

READ: Marcos: PH won’t assist ICC probe

Government records show that at least 6,200 drug suspects have died in legitimate anti-drug operations, but many human rights groups claim that the actual number of individuals slain during the drug war can be between 12,000 and 30,000.

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.