VP Duterte says she and dad do not talk about ICC probe
By Raymund Antonio and Raymund Antonio
Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday, Feb. 14, revealed that she and dad, former president Rodrigo Duterte, do not discuss the current International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the previous administration’s bloody war on drugs campaign.
(From left) Former president Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte (Malacañang photo)
Speaking to reporters in Malaysia, where she visited as Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) president, the Vice President said the former chief executive surely talks about the ICC probe with his lawyers.
“Hindi namin napapag-uusapan ni (dating) pangulong Duterte ang ICC (Former president Duterte and I don’t talk about ICC),” she stressed.
“Sigurado naman ako mayroon siguro siyang kausap na mga abogado dahil abogado din naman si (dating) pangulong Duterte. So, naiintindihan niya ang mga legal implications at mga procedures sa ICC (I am sure that he talks with other lawyers because former president Duterte is also a lawyer. So, he understands the legal implications and procedures of ICC).”
While she said she cannot speak for other members of the Duterte family, the Vice President shared about receiving “legal advice” from Filipino lawyers who are experts in international law.
She also dared self-confessed former Davao Death Squad (DDS) hitman Arturo Lascañas to charge her with murder in the Philippines as she has no plans to file a case against him despite allegations of her involvement in the drug war during her time as Davao City mayor.
“Wala akong balak magsampa ng kaso sa kanya. In fact, siya yung tsina-challenge ko na magsampa ng kaso sa akin ng murder doon sa Pilipinas (I don’t plan on filing a case against him. In fact, I challenge him to file a murder case against me in the Philippines),” she added.
In an online interview last Jan. 31, Lascañas claimed that the Vice President, then Davao City mayor, was the brains behind Oplan Tokhang, which was implemented by Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa when was still the city’s police chief.
He pointed to her involvement in the DDS and extrajudicial killings (EJK) in her hometown of Davao City.
In recent weeks, there have been reports of a pending warrant of arrest that will be issued by the ICC against the elder Duterte. This was even shared by former presidential spokesman and staunch Duterte defender Harry Roque.
The ICC is investigating the thousands of EJKs during the Duterte administration, and has reportedly finished its probe in December last year.
Though the Duterte patriarch pulled out from the Rome Statute in 2019, a year after the tribunal began a preliminary probe into the killings, the ICC maintains jurisdictions on incidents that happened until the withdrawal was finalized.