Senate President Vicente Sotto III has dared investigators from the International Criminal Court (ICC) to go to the Philippines to see for themselves the figures and reports about President Duterte's "war on drugs".
Sotto claimed that government critics gave the ICC "wrong information" to prompt the investigation on the killings supposedly committed by state forces during the campaign against illegal drugs.
For the staunch anti-illegal drug advocate, the Duterte administration has been effective in addressing the problem of illegal drug sale and use, saying more drug suspects are being arrested than killed.
"Makikita ninyo na ang laki ng number na mga arestado. Yung 2019 at tsaka 2020, napakadami ang arestado, ang dami rin ang nakasuhan at ilan 'yong drug operations (You will see that a huge number are arrested. For 2019 and 2020, many are arrested and charged after some drug operations)," Sotto said in an online interview with reporters Monday, June 21, citing a report from the Philippine National Police (PNP).
He added that deaths perpetrated by unknown assailants and other crimes were being attributed to the government's anti-drug campaign.
"Hindi tama 'yon (That's not right)," he said. "Talagang ano iyon, directly naninira lang sa administrasyon (It's really just to discredit the administration)."
Sotto told ICC officials: "Kung gusto nilang pumunta dito para makita 'yong mga statistics mag-imbestiga sila, sa akin, personally kung gusto nila, eh di pumunta sila dito. Hindi ba (If they want to see the statistics and investigate, they should go here)."
Outgoing ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda earlier recommended a formal investigation on the alleged crimes against humanity committed under the war on drugs, which killed thousands of civilians suspected as drug pusher or users.
The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019 after the court launched a preliminary examination on the drug-related killings.
Bensouda earlier said that the ICC could still investigate the alleged crimes committed while the Philippines was a member.
Duterte refuses to cooperate with any investigation by the ICC.