House: ICC case vs. Duterte based on evidence

The detention of former President Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged drug war deaths is based on evidence, House of Representatives spokesperson Princess Abante said Monday.

Abante, a lawyer, made the comments in response to Vice President Sara Duterte's assertion that her father’s detention in The Hague is based on gossip and collusion between the ICC and the administration of her former ally President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr.

“Well, ‘yung statement ni VP ay base sa 'marites.' Ang kaso doon sa ICC ay ayon sa ebidensya. Siguro [dapat] doon tayo tututok: kung ano iyong pinagbabasehan ng mga reklamo,” Abante said n a press conference.

(The Vice President's statement is based on the rumor mill. The case before the ICC is based on evidence. That should be our focus here: the basis of the case.)

“Hindi ito galing sa anumang chismis. Ito ay galing sa mga ebidensya at mga testimonies ng mga witnesses,” she added.

(The case is not based on gossip. This stemmed from evidence and testimonies of witnesses.)

Abante also addressed Duterte’s allegation the ICC is being used by the Marcos administration to persecute the former president.

“Bilang abogado, tingin ko alam naman rin niya kung paano yung proseso sa mga ganitong klaseng mga judicial bodies, at ano ‘yung dapat nilang gawin,” she said.

(As a lawyer, the Vice President should know all too well how the legal process works and what it entails.)

“They have their defense lawyer to assert that before the court,” she added.

Zambales Representative Jefferson Khonghun, for his part, said the Vice President’s comments were lies and out of line, if not baseless conspiracy theories.

“Tsismis ba ang libo-libong patayan? Tsismis ba ang luha ng mga nanay na naulila? Tsismis ba ang mga ulat ng international and local human rights groups?” You call this gossip, we call it justice. Kung talagang walang kasalanan, harapin. Hindi ‘yung puro drama at siraan ang ginagawa,” Khonghun said.

(Are thousands of killings, tears of mothers who lost children, and records of international and local human rights groups gossip? If the former President is indeed innocent, then he should face the charges and stop the drama and mudslinging.)

“Walang kuntsabahan. Walang pakikialam. At lalong walang script na siya ang nagpahuli sa dating Pangulo [There is no collusion or intervention, and there is no script.] President Bongbong Marcos is not hiding behind kindness. He leads with calm, principle and respect for the rule of law,” Khonghun said.

“Hindi lahat ng galaw ng gobyerno ay kontrolado ng Pangulo [Not all government actions are controlled by the President]. We are no longer under a regime where one man can order arrests left and right. President Marcos governs with restraint and humility, not with vendetta,” he added.

The ICC arrest warrant for Duterte stated that Duterte is "individually responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder” over drug war killings.

"Taking into account the totality of the information before it, the Chamber finds reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Duterte is individually responsible for the crime against humanity of murder as an indirect co-perpetrator within the meaning of Article 25 (3)(a) of the Statute, committed during the relevant period," read the document tagged "secret."

The former President, however, has been adamant that he has done nothing wrong in implementing the bloody drug war. The official government tally puts the number of dead at some 6,000, while rights groups estimate that as many as 30,000 have been killed. — BM, GMA Integrated News