Reports of drug war abuses 'unfounded,' PNP says amid ICC rape claims

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday maintained that its anti-illegal drugs operations have all been legitimate amid the latest claim of the International Criminal Court’s that there were rape and other abuses.

In a statement, PNP spokesman Police Brigadier General Bernard Banac said the "rehashed narratives of alleged abuses" have remained to be "unfounded and devoid of truth," and told repeatedly in order for them to look factual.

"The PNP maintains the regularity of all police operations in its major campaigns against crime, illegal drugs, and terrorism where the possibility of armed confrontation with suspects is always present," Banac said.

Banac assured the public that police would remain guided by existing rules and procedures which will ensure transparency and accountability in their police operations.

Earlier, the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor said it had received allegations that law enforcers had been involved in raping women who were connected to suspected drug personalities.

ICC's prosecutor also mentioned reports of abuses allegedly committed against drug suspects before getting killed "by state actors and other unidentified assailants."

The report of the said office indicated that majority of the victims came from poor communities especially those living in urban areas in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Central Visayas, and CALABARZON.

The Office of the Prosecutor also said it is looking into alleged threats being taken against human rights advocates who were criticizing the war against illegal drugs.

The Office of the Prosecutor is aiming to finish its preliminary examination on the Philippines’ war against illegal drugs by 2020.

On March 17, 2018, the Philippine government said it was withdrawing from the Rome Statute on the ICC. The withdrawal took effect a year later.

However, the ICC retained jurisdiction over the complaints filed against the Duterte administration. —KBK, GMA News