“If the ICC gets the support of Interpol to pursue its cases against Duterte et al. for crimes against humanity, there’s nothing the Marcos administration can do but cooperate”
FORMER President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and others should rely on the fact the International Criminal Court has no jurisdiction in the Philippines after the county withdrew membership in 2017 from the Rome Statute which created the ICC.
The ICC found them guilty of crimes against humanity during Duterte’s six year war against illegal drugs that resulted in thousands dead, many of them having been the result of extra-judicial killings.
Crimes against humanity included the infamous “Davao Death Squad” when Duetrte was Davao City mayor.
The ICC can always rely on the International Police (Interpol) of which the Philippines is a member to pursue ICC’s cases against them.
Santa Banana, the Interpol can always come to the country and interview “persons of interest” and others on the “EJK killings!”
And if the ICC decides to issue warrants of arrest against those involved, my gulay, nothing can be done about it.
The ICC has been known to have used the Interpol before to pursue cases they had filed.
Santa Banana, if the ICC decides to pursue the cases against Duterte, Bato, et al, the Philippines cannot do anything but cooperate.
Supporters of Duterte argue the ICC has no jurisdiction to enter the country and interview witnesses against past and present public officials involved in the brutal and bloody war against illegal drugs during the incumbency of the former President since the Philippines had withdrawn membership from the Rome Statute.
his is why President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has been silent on this case.
But, as I said, if the ICC gets the support of Interpol to pursue its cases against Duterte et al. for crimes against humanity, there’s nothing the Marcos administration can do but cooperate, since the country is also a member of Interpol.
Like what they say in the vernacular, “ABANGAN!”.
PH losing its export market
For years, the Philippines was the leader in exports of copra and coconut oil.
Unfortunately, the Philippines was displaced by Indonesia in the export of copra and coconut oil.
After Indonesia came another debacle when the Philippines was displaced by Vietnam as the main exporter of bananas to China.
In the first four months of 2024, Vietnam exported a staggering 355,000 tons of bananas to China, becoming China’s leading banana supplier.
This volume was 2.4 times greater than that of the second-largest exporter, the Philippines, and represented 48.6 percent of China’s banana imports.
This marks the first time Vietnam has surpassed the Philippines, also the world’s second-largest banana exporter.
Despite this surge, the value of Vietnam’s banana exports to China only rose by 3 percent year-on-year to US$145 million, as the average price fell by 16 percent to US$407.7 per ton.
According to an executive from a banana export company in Dong Nai province, the price drop resulted from increased competition, with China diversifying its sources and importing significant volumes from other countries..
Vietnam’s success can be attributed to the decline in the Philippines’ banana production and quality. Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, noted shipping costs from the Philippines to China have skyrocketed this year, making Filipino bananas 33 percent more expensive than those from Vietnam.
Other Southeast Asian suppliers, including Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, are also facing rising costs.
Even Ecuador, the world’s top banana exporter, is struggling with high transport expenses as it attempts to boost exports to China.
Since signing a protocol in 2022 to increase banana exports to China, Vietnam has ramped up its shipments significantly.
Additionally, Vietnamese bananas are finding new markets in Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Qatar.
Overall, Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports have soared, reaching nearly US$2.6 billion this year, a 28 percent increase from the previous year.
Bananas now rank as the third-largest export item, trailing only durian and dragon fruit.