The Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives on Thursday slammed a Senate resolution urging the International Criminal Court (ICC) to place former President Rodrigo Duterte under house arrest, branding it as a ‘brazen, self-serving attempt’ to cover up his crimes.
In a joint statement, the bloc composed of ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, Kabataan Rep. Renee Louise Co, and Gabriela Rep. Sarah Elago urged the ICC to proceed with Duterte’ prosecution, as the resolution only proved that the former president continued to enjoy influence at the highest levels of government.
‘This is not a humanitarian gesture, but a brazen attempt to obstruct justice and protect a mass murderer responsible for thousands of extrajudicial killings,’ they said.
‘We reject the Senate’s claims of humanitarian concerns. The same senators who now plead for Duterte’s comfort showed no compassion for the thousands of victims of his brutal drug war – mostly urban poor and marginalized communities who were summarily executed,’ they added.
On Wednesday, the upper chamber voted 15-3-2 to adopt Senate Resolution No. 144, which argued that Duterte should undergo a medical examination to determine whether he was fit to withstand regular detention.
‘Should the medical findings prove that his detention will further worsen his medical condition, (the ICC should) allow the former president to be detained under house arrest,’ read the resolution, which was signed by Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano.
The 80-year-old former president has been detained at the Scheveningen prison in The Hague since March as he awaits trial over charges of crimes against humanity.
His camp has claimed a myriad of medical issues ailing the former president – from cognitive impairment to supposedly being discovered unconscious on the floor of his room – as they try to get the ICC to stop its trial.
The Makabayan lawmakers are unconvinced, however, and noted that the ‘same senators who now plead for Duterte’s comfort showed no compassion for the thousands of victims of his brutal drug war – mostly urban poor and marginalized communities who were summarily executed.’
Specifically, they highlighted what they called the irony of one of the resolution’s sponsors: Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa, Duterte’s former police chief and implementer of the war on drugs, who was named in ICC documents as a potential co-perpetrator in three counts of murder against the former president.
‘How can someone involved in a crime pass a resolution about it to his benefit? This only proves the Dutertes remain very powerful in the Philippines and that no justice can be achieved if he is tried here,’ Tinio said.
Echoed Co: ‘This is nothing more than a political maneuver designed to protect Duterte and his cohorts from facing the full weight of international justice. The Senate is more concerned with protecting a former president than delivering justice to thousands of victims of state-sponsored killings.’
Elago, meanwhile, described the measure as an ‘insult’ to families who lost loved ones in Duterte’s bloody campaign.
‘This is not about mercy, but about perpetuating impunity,’ she said.