The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor can interview persons of interest in its investigation of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said.
He said there are many ways by which the prosecutor can engage witnesses and suspects alike.
“The Philippine government cannot stop him from proceeding in any way he wants. He can directly interview persons of interest online, through the phone, by email, or face to face, subject to the consent of these persons,” he said.
Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV earlier said the ICC considers Senator Ronald Dela Rosa and four other former ranking police officials as suspects in the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) of alleged drug personalities.
Trillanes posted a supposed redacted copy of an order by the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) on X which also names former PNP chief Oscar Albayalde, former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Romeo Caramat Jr., former National Police Commission commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, and former PNP Intelligence Officer Eleazar Mata as suspects.
Guevarra said the document was supposed to be confidential but Trillanes’ revelation forced him to make an explanation.
“The ICC prosecutor was requesting assistance from the Philippine government to facilitate the interview of the prosecutor on these five people named in the communication,” he said.
However, Guevarra said the Philippines has disengaged from the ICC and has no legal duty to lend the body any assistance.
“The ICC prosecutor cannot expect that the Philippine government will facilitate for him,” he said.
Dela Rosa dismissed Trillanes’ post, saying there was nothing new to it.
“My name [has] always [been] mentioned since 2016. Seems like a broken record that keeps on repeating the same lines,” he said.
Albayalde, on the other hand, said he is ready to face the ICC.
Government records show that some 6,200 drug suspects were killed during the Duterte administration but human rights organizations say that the actual number is closer to 30,000.
At the lower house, Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez said the findings of the House Committee on Human Rights could serve as evidence in the ICC’s probe into alleged crimes against humanity by Duterte and his close associates.
“The outcome of this investigation can be used in filing in different courts, and can be used also as evidence in the ICC,” Fernandez said, after former senator Leila De Lima—who testified before the committee for the first time—expressed concerns about thoroughness and impact of local investigations into the bloody drug war of the previous administration,” he said during Tuesday’s resumption of committee hearings on alleged EJKs.
Fernandez also addressed recent comments by Dela Rosa, Duterte’s former police chief, questioning the House panel’s authority to conduct the probe.
“We are an independent body, and we are discussing this thoroughly. It will be dependent on the chairman what to do with the committee report. And that can be used by anybody, particularly those victims of the [war on drugs],” the Laguna solon said.
Fernandez also indicated his willingness to cooperate with the ICC probe, potentially diverging from the executive department’s stance of non-cooperation.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline House committee findings could bolster ICC probe vs Duterte
