EP 19: ICC investigation into Duterte's Drug War

The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has requested authority to conduct a formal investigation into the thousands of killings under President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war. 

Malacañang predictably downplayed, if not dismissed, this development asserting “sovereignty and independence from foreign interference.”

But the process at the ICC is expected to proceed anyway regardless of whether Duterte and other officials instrumental to the conduct of his vicious drug war will cooperate or not. 

Perhaps the question is — will a refusal to cooperate only work against Duterte’s interest?

Besides, was it not also this administration that argued early during the drug war that if you’re a drug addict or drug trafficker what was there to be afraid of?

Years later, the ICC Prosecutor found reasonable basis to believe that the crime against humanity of murder was committed in the Philippines since Duterte took office in 2016 and until March 16, 2019  when his administration unilaterally  withdrew the country from the ICC.

So, the question is asked — if Duterte and his top lieutenants are not guilty of such crime what is there to be proud of?

In this episode, Christian Esguerra sits down with Sec. Salvador Panelo, President Rodrigo Duterte's Chief Legal Counsel and Atty. Neri Colmenares, lawyer for families of victims of Duterte's drug war.

They discussed how and why his administration reached this point at the ICC and whether victims of all the rampant killings under Duterte can finally get justice not from the local courts but from the one in The Hague.