PNP 'quota system' to boost ICC case vs Duterte, says Makabayan solon
Former president Rodrigo Duterte (Malacañang photo)
A Makabayan lawmaker believes that the alleged "quota system" being practiced in the Philippine National Police (PNP) could used as "evidence" by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against former president Rodrigo Duterte in connection with the latter's bloody war on drugs. "Naniniwala ako na ang 'quota system' na ito ay isa mga dahilan sa talamak na extra-judicial killings (EJK) at human rights violations sa panahon ng pekeng drug war ni Duterte (I believe that this quota system is one of the reasons why EJKs and human rights violations were revaluation during Duterte’s fake drug war)," said ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro in a statement Thursday, April 27. Earlier that day, Castro noted that 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Bonifacio Bosita raised during a House Committee on Public Order hearing the notion of a quota system in the police force. Bosita, a former member of the PNP-Highway Patrol Group (HPG), described the quota system as a minimum number of drug busts per week that is being demanded or required from cops. "I think that Rep. Bosita's claim can be used to further strengthen the case at the ICC so that those most responsible for the thousands of EJKs would be held accountable," said Castro, who is a House deputy minority leader. The ICC has been eyeing Duterte’s aggressive drive against illegal drugs for quite some time now. Thousands were believed to have been killed during the former chief executive's anti-narcotics campaign that spanned his entire term from 2016 to 2022. However, the death toll varies greatly depending on who you ask. The Committee on Public Order tackled on Thursday a drug buy-bust case in Antipolo that had tell-tale signs of police abuse.