Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, on Tuesday said he is not sure what International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda actually meant by “reasonable basis to believe” on crimes against humanity supposedly committed in President Duterte’s War on Drugs.
But his skepticism contrasts sharply with the opposition’s generally favorable review of her findings.
Senator Francis Pangilinan, who is also Liberal Party president, said the ICC finding ‘’doesn't come as a surprise. It is a bit troubling though that it took them over four years of daily killings to find 'reasonable basis’,’’ he added.
‘’Perhaps if they acted sooner, thousands of lives could have been saved,’’ he stressed.
‘’Under the ICC statute, reasonable grounds to believe is considered as an “unreasonably unclear evidentiary threshold,’’ Lacson, chairman of the Senate national defense and security committee, said.
‘’Another threshold that the ICC prosecutor needs to hurdle in order to get the permission from the international body to proceed is to prove that the criminal justice system in the Philippines is not functioning, or at least has fallen short in prosecuting law enforcement agents who have allegedly committed the crimes against humanity in relation to the bloody drug war initiated by the President,’’ Lacson pointed out.
‘’In the realm of possibilities to prosecute the President for crimes against humanity, the statement of Prosecutor Bensouda may only be good as a press release and nothing more, at least at this point in time,’’ he added.
Akbayan Chairwoman Emeritus Loretta Ann Rosales lauded the ICC for continuing their investigation amid repeated attempts by the Duterte administration to block it.
Rosales, also former chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said ‘’Mr. Duterte thought he could evade justice by doing everything to stop the ICC, withdrawing our nation from its jurisdiction and harassing the delegations sent here.’’
‘’But all Mr. Duterte has done is prove his fear of finally being brought under the law. Let this be an example of how no one is above the law," Rosales said.
Rosales, however, warned against declaring an early victory, as she says "the fight is still far from over" in the potential case to be filed against the administration.
"Now that Mr. Duterte has his hands tied, we must be vigilant of his next actions. He may become a fake democrat, submitting himself to due process in a false show of goodwill; or he could become even more ruthless in his violations of human rights, now that he has nothing to lose," she cautioned.
Former Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV sees the ICC statement as a very good sign for human rights advocates.
‘’The time for reckoning is near for Mr. Duterte and his cohorts. Di nya malulusutan yan,’’ Trillanes added. (He cannot escape from this.)
Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday said the “reasonable basis” finding of an International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor is the understatement of the last four years of the President Duterte’s war on drugs.
‘’Still, I strongly hope the recent findings of the International Criminal Court (ICC) finally bring justice to the victims of this administration's brutal war on drugs. This report offers new hope for justice and humanity, as we continue to commemorate all those felled by bloody ‘tokhang’,’’ she stressed.
‘’I continue to mourn for Kian De Los Santos, whose appalling death ignited national outrage from various sectors. Let us not forget that our innocent youth, like Kian, are helpless victims of this administration’s disproportionate response to what is actually a public health concern,’’ she pointed out.
‘’ICC’s statement that they hope to open an investigation in the first half of 2021 is a welcome development for anyone fighting against human rights abuses in the Philippines. Exacting accountability for these extrajudicial killings has been a long time coming,’’ she added.