Duterte’s drug war ‘the workings of a twisted mind’ —De Lima

Former senator Leila De Lima on Wednesday scoffed at former president Rodrigo Duterte's defense of his administration's deadly war on drugs.

“A matter of principle daw? No, it's the workings of a twisted, malevolent mind,” De Lima said in a tweet, a day after Duterte said in an interview that he is ready to go to prison because he undertook the anti-drugs campaign, which has claimed thousands of lives, as “a matter of principle.”

“Since when was it a crime for a sovereign head of state, for me to threaten criminals? Sabi ko if you destroy my country, I will kill you," Duterte also said.

“The inducer, instigator, or mastermind of mass killings of alleged criminals (unproven; no due process) is himself a criminal, one of the worst kind,” De Lima said.

“Akala ba namin wala kang pakialam sa ICC o anuman gawin nito? [We thought you didn't care about the ICC or whatever it does?] You're obviously scared, Mr. Duterte,” she added.

Government records showed that at least 6,200 drug suspects have been killed in police operations from June 2016 until November 2021. Several human rights groups, say the actual death toll stand at around 12,000 to 30,000.

The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, in March 2019 during the Duterte administration. Due to this, government officials say that the ICC has no jurisdiction in the Philippines.

For his part, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said that the country has “no intention” of rejoining the ICC.

De Lima, a staunch critic of the former president, has been detained at Camp Crame since 2017 over drug allegations in the New Bilibid Prison. One of the three drug charges against her was junked by the Muntinlupa Court in February 2021.

GMA News Online has sought comment from Duterte’s camp but has yet to receive a response as of posting time. — BM, GMA Integrated News