FORMER senator Antonio Trillanes IV said ex-President Rodrigo Duterte should face the consequences of killing thousands of Filipinos and must remain detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands.
“Didn’t you see how arrogant this person was when he was president, how rude he was? And now we’re going to pity them. It’s not like that. When you kill thousands of Filipinos, you have to suffer. That’s just how justice is in the world,” Trillanes said.
He also expressed doubt regarding the assertion that Duterte was discovered unconscious multiple times within the ICC detention facility, saying it was merely a tactic to postpone his hearing for the confirmation of charges scheduled for September 23.
Trillanes said the claim about Duterte’s deteriorating health was simply meant to gain the ICC’s mercy and support his request for interim release.
“That’s their drama. They are begging the ICC to grant this interim release. They’re trying to make Filipinos feel sorry for them so they can gain sympathy,” he pointed out.
Trillanes said Duterte can inform his family anytime about his health condition because he has daily communication access to his family members with no visitation limits.
“They should have reported that immediately because Duterte has daily access to a phone to contact his family. Why didn’t they report that? Now, suddenly, several incidents have reportedly sprung up,” he said.
Trillanes said the ICC detention facility has its own in-house medical team that immediately responds to any medical emergency.
“There’s an ambulance on standby, and the hospital is five minutes away. Nothing happened; no one lost consciousness or anything,” he said.
For Trillanes, it is nearly impossible for the ICC to grant Duterte’s request for interim release, stating that the court has only done that for a handful of accused individuals with a terminal illness or in cases of a medical emergency or procedure.
