Opposition senators didn’t show up at the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday when the SC heard the oral arguments contesting President Rodrigo Duterte’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
According to Philippine Star, senators Francis Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon, and Paolo Benigno Aquino IV chose not to be at the SC after the court rejected their request to have jailed senator Leila de Lima represent them.
They were instead represented by their lawyer Anne Marie Corominas, who said the three senators needed to decide on how they would proceed with the case.
The government’s withdrawal from the ICC is currently being challenged by opposition senators and members of the Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court (PCICC).
The PCICC is asking the SC to revoke the notice the government sent to the ICC in March saying that it will withdraw from the body.
The PCICC said that the government cannot just withdraw from the ICC without senate approval.
However, Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, a known supporter of the president, defended Duterte’s decision and said the ICC was “meddling” in the country’s affairs, reported the Philippine Star.
After the ICC started its preliminary investigations on Duterte earlier this year, Duterte declared the country’s exit from the international body. According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, he did this because the ICC wanted to portray him as a “ruthless and heartless violator of human rights who allegedly caused thousands of extrajudicial killings.”
The oral arguments started yesterday, the same day that activists and the families of eight alleged victims of the government’s war on drugs filed a complaint against Duterte at the ICC, accusing him of murder and crimes against humanity.
The complaint, also called a communication, is the second one to be filed against Duterte at the ICC, according to ABS-CBN News.
The first one was filed in April 2017 by lawyer Jude Sabio, who alleged that at least 1,400 people were killed by the mercenary group Davao Death Squad during the time when Duterte was the city’s mayor.
According to Rappler, Sabio also alleged that around 7,000 people were killed during Duterte’s presidency.
According to Reuters, the latest communication called for Duterte’s prosecution for the “brazen” executions committed by the police, which allegedly resulted in thousands of deaths.
GMA News said the victims’ families are represented by the National Union of People’s Lawyers. One of their lawyers, Kristina Conti, said the complaint is backed by a memo circulated within the Philippine National Police (PNP) which allegedly includes a directive to officers to kill drug suspects.
Duterte’s spokesperson Harry Roque was quick to dismiss the new communication, which he said “does not mean anything” due to the fact that anyone can file one, according to a report from ABS-CBN.
Roque said even Pope Francis has filed a commuication against Duterte.
In spite of the existence of such complaints, the president has no plans of halting his controversial war on drugs.
In his State of the Nation Address in July, Duterte said that the war against drugs was far from over and that it will remain as “relentless and chilling” as the day that it began.
