The day after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake shook Cebu, leaving destruction, injuries and deaths in its wake, the Senate, voting 15-3 and two abstentions, passed a resolution calling for the house arrest of International Criminal Court (ICC) prisoner Rodrigo Duterte, citing ‘humanitarian grounds.’ How compassionate of them. Their sense of humanity for the architect of the bloody drug war seems far more urgent than for the Filipinos reeling from an actual natural disaster.
Leading this display of moral piety was none other than Bible-quoting Senator Alan Peter Cayetano. Hallelujah! Always ready to act as the ambassador of Jesus Christ, he asserted that ‘humanitarian treatment and due process are essential to justice.’ How Godly cute of Alan Peter. This is coming from the same man who denied the existence of Duterte’s extrajudicial killings before the United Nations when he was secretary of foreign affairs, with the gusto of a militant Holocaust denier and flat-earther. This is also the senator who rationalized corruption as long as there is ‘repentance.’ If Alan Peter can’t get his brother, the ‘good Cayetano,’ Lino, to buy into his ‘holiness,’ perhaps he should keep his preaching to himself.
The resolution came after impeached Vice President Sara Duterte accused the ICC of inhumanely treating her father. Depending on the day, Digong is either frail, collapsing on the floor, battling early dementia or, if we are to believe Senator Bato dela Rosa’s latest melodrama, simply wants to go home and eat monggo. Shedding monggo tears to win sympathy? Such claims might sound plausible if Duterte were detained in Guantanamo Bay or some North Korean dungeon. But in the Netherlands, renowned for human rights and excellent health care? Please. Sara’s assertion, like a fat penguin, doesn’t fly. And why should people believe her? Just six months ago, she was quoting her father, likening his ICC detention quarters to those of a hotel.
So what is the most compassionate thing we can do for Digong? Let him stay exactly where he is. After all, the ICC facility is among the most humane in the world. And frankly, far kinder than our jails and the graves where thousands of his EJK victims now lie.
The resolution, of course, has absolutely no legal bearing on the work of the ICC. The ICC exists precisely as the court of last resort for people victimized by crimes against humanity and betrayed by their countries’ institutions. It is built to resist pressure from outside forces, especially from those it is currently trying. If anything, the Senate resolution only reinforced the argument for keeping Duterte in the ICC. It showed that he still influences Philippine politics, even from a detention cell in The Hague.
However, politically, the resolution did reveal one thing: the Senate remains the happy hunting ground for the Dutertes, even if their hardliners have slipped to the minority. The majority bloc led by Senate President Tito Sotto is proving to be challenging.
It also exposed the weaknesses of President Bongbong Marcos Jr. The resolution seemed like a barometer. Many senators are unimpressed with how Marcos has handled the flood control issue, with some getting ready to take their bets on the return of the Dutertes in 2028. This is not just about the ICC; this is a preview of the coming presidential race.
Senator Chiz Escudero had his own moment in the spotlight. Prior to the drama involving Duterte, the ousted Senate president took the podium and claimed that the corruption allegations against him were all part of a script by former House speaker Martin Romualdez, who had also lost his leadership post after being caught up in the same scandal. Romualdez shot back at Escudero, calling his speech a ‘DDS script.’
Yet, what made Escudero’s performance stand out was not only the sheer contradictions of his lines but whom he seemed to be most anxious to please in the audience – Sara Duterte, who was sitting in the Senate VIP gallery. Some said that Chiz’s performance felt less like a speech and more like an audition for Sara’s running mate in 2028.
‘Why me?’ Escudero whined before reminding his accusers that when you point a finger at someone, three fingers point back at you. Is this the best argument he has? If anything, this is no defense at all. It’s more like an admission. Like a man caught urinating on a wall, only to complain that he shouldn’t be singled out because others relieved themselves on the same spot.
Then came Chiz’s pompous statement: ‘I can defend myself, but who will defend our institution?’ Really? He wants a reminder as to how the Senate lost its credibility under his short and chaotic leadership? First, he shelved Sara’s impeachment. Second, his P30-million donation from a contractor. Third, his alleged multi-billion budget insertions. Fourth, the Marcoleta-led flood control probe, where his contractor-friend, Senate allies and the Dutertes were untouched. Finally, the botched and hurried plan to turn the Discaya couple into state witnesses. He doesn’t need to worry about defending the Senate. The damage under his watch already did that.
This week gave us two lousy scripts: the ICC’s ‘inhumane treatment’ of Digong and Chiz’s non-defense defense. Different scripts, same teleserye – the endless squabbling of dynasties, where the people are reduced to extras.
It’s time to rip up their scripts, unmask the real villains and celebrate our true heroes, leading to 2028: former Justice Antonio Carpio, Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno, Rep. Leila de Lima, Heidi Mendoza, Cielo Magno and Mayor Vico Sotto, to name a few.
We follow our own script now. It’s time to write our story, our history, our destiny.