House findings on drug war deaths can bolster ICC probe vs Duterte--Fernandez
At A Glance
- Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez says the findings of a House panel on its ongoing inquiry into the drug war deaths during the previous Duterte administration can may be used by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its own probe on the bloody campaign.
Santa Rosa lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez (left), former president Rodrigo Duterte (Facebook, Malacañang photo)
Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez says the findings of a House panel on its ongoing inquiry into the drug war deaths during the previous Duterte administration can may be used by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its own probe on the bloody campaign.
The House Committee on Human Rights chaired by Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. carried out on Monday, July 29 its fifth hearing on the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the previous administration.
Fernandez, chairman of the Committee on Public Order and Safety, was one of the attendees to the hearing.
A high-profile resource person during the hearing was former senator Leila de Lima, who was incarcerated during former president Rodrigo Duterte's term due to drug charges. She won in all her cases and was testifying for the first time before the panel.
“The outcome of this investigation can be used in filing in different courts, and can be used also as evidence in the ICC,” Fernandez said, after De Lima expressed concerns about the lack of local investigations into the bloody drug war--the panel inquiry being the sole exception.
The ICC is based at The Hague in the Netherlands.
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Fernandez also addressed recent comments by Duterte’s former police chief, now Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who questioned the Abante panel's authority to conduct the probe.
“We are an independent body, and we are discussing this thoroughly. It will be dependent on the chairman what to do with the committee report. And that can be used by anybody, particularly those victims of the [war on drugs],” said the movie actor-turned-congressman.
The Bulacan solon says he is also willing to cooperate on the matter with international bodies--something that could diverge from the executive department’s stance of non-cooperation with the ICC.
De Lima noted the ICC's concerns regarding the adequacy of local investigations. She stressed that without actual criminal proceedings, the ICC investigation would not cease.
The House panel's inquiry is in aid of legislation only.