Vice President Sara Duterte asserted that the deaths linked to her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign were driven by the country’s rampant gun violence, claiming that hiring a gunman could only cost a person P5,000 per hit.
Sara made the remarks during a rally on Wednesday, held in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention center in The Hague, Netherlands.
In her speech, she argued that the deaths caused by her father’s anti-drug campaign did not amount to crimes against humanity, as it remained unclear whether all those killed were victims of the drug war, citing the prevalence of gun violence in the Philippines.
‘I have a husband. My husband has a mistress. I can hire a gunman for 5,000 pesos to kill the mistress … that is how bad gun violence in the Philippines is. And that is, again, yes, EJK (extrajudicial killing),’ said Sara.
‘So how can you say that all your listed victims, all your listed complainants are supposed victims of the drug war? … how can they say now that all the victims there are victims of the drug war? That is supposed to be a crime against humanity?’ she added.
It should be noted, however, that official government records already showed that at least 6,000 people were killed during the bloody campaign against drugs of Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.
Human rights groups’ records further showed that at least 30,000 were killed, including children as young as 3 years old.
Meanwhile, Duterte, in a separate statement, said her remarks on gun violence-which she used primarily to explain the deaths during her father’s bloody campaign against drugs in the interview-should not be ‘reduced to a passing remark.’
‘This is not merely a ‘Duterte and k*ll, k*ll, k*ll’ it reflects the daily reality faced by Filipinos on the streets wondering whether they can go home safely,’ she said.
According to Duterte, Filipinos have grown too accustomed to reports of shootings, killings and other violent crimes, with ‘too many’ having been victims of shootings, stabbings, kidnappings, sexual violence, and other crimes.
‘The reality is – Filipinos do not feel safe!’ said Duterte.
‘ICC controlled by Marcos, Trillanes’
Meanwhile, in the same speech, Sara also accused the ICC of being President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV’s ‘tuta’ or puppy.
Her source? The 18 alleged Marines, known as ‘maleta boys,’ who accused Trillanes of receiving two million dollars from resigned Ako Bicol party-list congressman Zaldy Co to facilitate the entry into the country of ICC investigators and allegedly to bribe the international tribunal.
‘And so, how do we characterize Trillanes and Marcos in relation to ICC? Yes, they are traitors to the Filipino and to the country. But more than that, ang ICC, ay tuta ni Trillanes at ni Marcos,’ said Sara.
‘Because the ICC has no other case except for the case of [former] President Rodrigo Duterte. And they found what? And they found Marcos, Trillanes, and money in the Philippine case. We’re talking about suitcases here,’ she added.
Rodrigo Duterte, who is facing three counts of crimes against humanity, is set to face trial before the ICC on Nov. 30.