House leaders have rallied behind former President Rodrigo Duterte who is facing investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his bloody anti-drugs war.
This developed as former President-now House Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo filed House Resolution 780 asserting that the ICC cannot pass judgment on Duterte.
“Una sa lahat yung problema ng illegal drugs ay problema ng bansa kaya ang bansa ang hahanap ng solusyon. Yun nga sinabi ni Sec. (Jesus Crispin) Remuilla okay naman makipag-dialogue sa ICC, pero di pwede sila maghuhusga di sila pwede ang magdidikta, ang maghuhusga taongbayang Pilipino. Iyun ang spirit ng resolution at di naman tayo member ng ICC at di lang tayo ang di member ng ICC pati US nga di member ng ICC eh. Kaya sabi nga ni CPLC (Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce) Enrile kung siya di raw niya kikilalanin ang jurisidiction ng ICC,” Arroyo said in an ambush interview.
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said however, that the alleged crimes against humanity of former President Duterte and his allies “cannot be cleansed in the laundromat of the House of Representatives.”
Asked about criticisms against her resolution, Arroyo said she respects their opinion.
Arroyo gave the interview at the sidelines of a public consultation on Charter change in Pampanga.
Arroyo and 18 other lawmakers filed House Resolution 780 urging the “unequivocal defense” of Duterte from a possible investigation of the ICC.
The resolution urged all members of the 19th Congress to rally behind the former President.
Other sponsors of the resolution are Reps. Carmelo Lazatin, Jr., Aurelio Gonzales, Anna York Bondoc-Sagum, Jose Alvarez, Mary Mitzi Cajayon-Uy, Richard Gomez, Wilton Kho, Loreto Amante, Edward Hagedorn, Edwin Olivarez, Eric Martinez, Eduardo Rama, Jr., Dale Corvera, Zaldy Villa, Ma. Rene Ann Lourdes Matibag, Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo, Johnny Pimentel and Marilyn Primicias-Agabas.
The measure asserted that Duterte’s presidency ushered “remarkable accomplishments brought about by his relentless campaign against illegal drugs, insurgency, separatism and terrorism, corruption in government and criminality thus making the life of every Filipino better, comfortable and peaceful.”
HR 780 also maintained that the country’s peace and order situation considerably improved due to the Duterte administration’s holistic approach in ending insurgency and curbing the drug menace in the country, purportedly resulting in growth in exports and investments.
HR 780 also said the Philippines has a functioning and independent judicial system, quoting Remulla who described the ICC’s intent to resume its investigation against Duterte’s anti-drug campaign as “insulting” and “totally unacceptable.”
Senator Ronald dela Rosa conveyed his gratitude to Arroyo for spearheading the filing of House Resolution 780 that expressed “unequivocal defense of Duterte.”
“That is very good! Thank you Deputy Speaker Arroyo for that resolution,” Dela Rosa said in a text message to reporters.
“I would like to thank former President and now deputy majority leader of the House Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and other members of the House of Representatives for authoring and sponsoring the said resolution,” he added.
Dela Rosa is Duterte’s co-accused in the war against drugs case filed by concerned groups before the ICC.
And while appreciating the move of Arroyo and 18 other congressmen, Dela Rosa said that he cannot replicate the move out of delicadeza.
“I can not do the same in the Senate since it is very-self serving on my part being a co- accused with the former President,” the senator said.
Senator Christopher Go was also thankful, saying Duterte only did what is best for the country and its people.
The judgment on the success of the previous administration’s war against drugs lies only on Filipinos, Go said.
“Hayaan natin ang mga kapwa Pilipino, at hindi ang mga banyaga, ang humusga sa naging kampanya ng nakaraang administrasyon laban sa ilegal na droga. Ang Pilipino ang mas nakakaalam sa tunay na sitwasyon at naging epekto ng ating kampanya noon,” Go said in a statement.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers also expressed full support to the resolution.
“As chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs during the whole Duterte administration, I have seen the gravity of the drug problem first hand. May position gave me privilege access to all information on the real situation. The war on drugs abated what could have been an irreversible disaster, that of our country becoming a narco state,” Barbers said.
“Years of neglect corrupted institutions and transformed them into weak weapons against the illegal drug trade. The ascent of President Duterte into the Presidency was a blessing for this country. I am sure that if he did not become the President, we are now a certified narco state,” Barbers said.
He noted that Duterte’s “tough resolve to fix the problem gave the Filipino people the hope and the breathing space we badly needed.”
“To vilify him is to say that his policy on the war against drugs was a big mistake. It should be the other way around. More importantly, his policy should not be equated to the situation on the ground. Policy is different from implementation. If those who were tasked to implement the policy overdid it and committed abuses, the former President should not be faulted for them,” Barbers said.
“Although the verbiage of House Resolution No. 780 urges the House of Representatives to defend Duterte against the resumption of the investigation of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutors, it does not deny that from 6,000 to 30,000 alleged drug suspects, mostly from the marginalized sectors, have been summarily killed in the wake of Duterte’s murderous campaign against illegal drugs,” Lagman said.
“While the justice system in the Philippines is functioning, the fact is not a single case has been filed and prosecuted against Duterte for his alleged crimes against humanity,” he added.
