Resolutions on ICC probe still pending at House

The House of Representatives went on break without adopting the resolution that urged the government to cooperate with the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) probe of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war against illegal drugs.

However, three lawmakers—Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro and 1-Rider Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez—who separately authored three House resolutions echoing the call remained hopeful that the House plenary will tackle this by early 2024 and eventually adopt it.

On Wednesday night, the lower chamber adjourned its session for the holidays without tackling House Resolution No. 1477 in its plenary session.

In his adjournment remarks, Speaker Martin Romualdez did not refer to the measures that pressed the government to cooperate with the ICC’s probe of Duterte’s antinarcotics campaign, even if Duterte attacked Romualdez and the House several times in the past two months.

Taken up after the break

However, the three lawmakers who authored HR 1477 and the similar HR 1393 and 1482 all expressed optimism that the House plenary will deliberate on these after the holiday break.

“Most probably, they [just] temporized because of the traditional ‘cessation of hostilities’ during the Christmas season,” Lagman, president of the Liberal Party and author of HRR 1482, told the Inquirer.

Castro, the House deputy minority leader, said she was “very sure and confident” that the resolutions on the ICC’s probe of Duterte’s alleged crimes against humanity would be taken up by the House plenary after the break.

Castro stressed that “holding to account those who are responsible for the fake Duterte war on illegal drugs would be a good way to start the year.”

For his part, Gutierrez said the lower chamber took up a lot of President Marcos’ priority measures in the last few days.

“Definitely the ICC resolution will eventually be taken up by the House plenary. But as to its adoption, we are not ready to make an assumption as to how the body will vote,” he said in a message to the Inquirer.

PH cooperation urged

On Nov. 29, the House committees on justice and human rights agreed to adopt HR 1477, in consolidation with HR 1393 and 1482 to urge the Philippines’ cooperation with the ICC probe.

A similar measure, Senate Resolution No. 867, was filed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros in the Senate and the panels said they would “transform” the bills into a concurrent resolution “expressing the sense” of Congress on an issue.

But as of Dec. 4, HR 1477 was still pending with the House committee on rules chaired by House Majority Leader Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe of Zamboanga City.

The adoption of the measure came after Duterte called the House “the most rotten institution” after it stripped his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, of P650 million in confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education for 2024.

Duterte used his “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa” program over SMNI to accuse Romualdez of allegedly orchestrating moves against his daughter and alluded to the Speaker’s political ambitions for the 2028 presidential polls.

The former president also admitted in the same TV program that he used intelligence funds to bankroll killings in Davao City when he was mayor, a statement which ended up as evidence in the complaint against him lodged before the ICC.

Duterte also threatened to kill Castro—a remark, which landed him a grave threats complaint before the Quezon City prosecutor’s office.

READ: 2 House panels adopt calls to help ICC probe of Duterte