The International Criminal Court (ICC)

The Makabayan coalition has reiterated its call to the Marcos administration to allow the Philippines to fully cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its investigation into the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the bloody war on drugs under former president Rodrigo Duterte.

The progressive group issued this appeal in a recent press briefing. Makabayan featured its 11 senatorial bets during the presser.

ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro, a deputy minority leader in the House of Representatives, urged the government to assist the ICC following the latest revelations in the ongoing quad-committee (quad-comm) investigation on EJKs.

During the last hearing on Oct. 11, retired police colonel Royina Garma claimed that the Duterte administration adopted the “Davao model” in its nationwide anti-drug campaign.

Garma, supposedly close to former President Rodrigo Duterte, said this involved cash rewards for policemen in exchange for killing those included on the list of drug personalities.

“With the latest development, sa tingin natin, magagamit itong mga nakuha nating data and information para sa pagpapatibay pa ng ating hypothesis na talagang ang EJK sa kaniyang panahon ay ginawa talagang policy,” said Castro, referring to Duterte.

(With the latest developments, we believe that we can use the data and information we have gathered to further strengthen our hypothesis that EJKs during his time were indeed made into a policy.)

Castro said the Makabayan bloc in Congress had been consistent in urging President Marcos to give the ICC access to necessary information to help in its probe of EJKs.

“Nagiging parang urong-sulong si BBM tungkol dito sa pag-cooperate sa ICC (It seems that BBM is being indecisive about cooperating with the ICC),” she noted.

On Monday, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said President Marcos was" not expected to change his mind” regarding the decision not to rejoin the ICC. Duterte pulled the Philippines out of the Rome Statute--the treaty that established the ICC--in 2019.

Moro activist Amirah Lidasan, a Makabayan senatorial aspirant like Castro, said the testimonies by key witnesses in the quad-comm hearings will significantly help the ICC in its investigation.

She said these findings demonstrate the culpability of the previous administration in the bloody drug war.

“Dapat po ay usigin na natin si Duterte at masampahan na po ng mga kaso dahil sa matindi pong kaniyang pagpatay sa hanay ng mamamayang Pilipino,” added Lidasan.

(We should prosecute Duterte and file charges against him for the brutal killings he committed among the Filipino people.)

Human rights organizations estimate that as many as 30,000 people were killed during the war on drugs.

Former congresswoman Liza Maza, once the lead convener of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) under Duterte, says is the responsibility of the government to hold the former president and other key personalities responsible for the conduct of EJKs. 

“May responsibilidad ang Pilipinas to hold Duterte, [Senator Ronald] Bato [Dela Rosa], and the others accountable dito sa inihayag ni colonel Garma,” said Maza.

(The Philippines has a responsibility to hold Duterte, Bato, and the others accountable for what Colonel Garma has revealed.)