De Lima on 'Bring Duterte home' resolution: 'Di na nila 'yan pakikinggan'
At A Glance
- Mamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima believes that the International Criminal Court (ICC) would not even pay much attention to the plea of some senators to let former president Rodrigo Duterte return home.
Former president Rodrigo Duterte (left), Mamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima (PPAB)
Mamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima believes that the International Criminal Court (ICC) would not even pay much attention to the plea of some senators to let former president Rodrigo Duterte return home.
“Hindi na nila (ICC) ‘yan pakikinggan kung anuman ‘yung mga sasabihin ng mga domestic authorities. They can take note of the [motions], but they cannot grant… ‘yung ganyang mga usapin na 'pabalikin niyo na,'" De Lima told House reporters in a chance interview Tuesday, July 8.
(The ICC won’t listen to whatever the domestic authorities have to say anymore. They can take note of the motions, but they cannot grant... those kinds of requests like ‘send him back.')
De Lima had this to say about the resolution filed by Senators Robinhood '"Robin" Padilla, Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, and Christopher "Bong" Go, who called for Duterte's "immediate return" from The Hague in the Netherlands.
Based at The Hague, the United Nations (UN)-backed ICC is detaining and trying the 80-year-old former Philippine leader on a charge of crimes against humanity.
De Lima, herself a former senator, reckoned that the filing of the resolution was nothing more than "political posturing".
“Sa tingin ko, political posturing na lang ‘yan kasi wala na ho sa kapangyarihan ng gobyerno natin na pabalikin siya (Duterte) (I think that’s just political posturing now, because our government no longer has the power to bring him back)."
The ML solon noted that Duterte’s legal team has already filed a request for interim release, and the matter is now solely in the hands of the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber.
“May proseso. ‘Di ba meron silang pending request for interim release? Eh hintayin siguro nila ‘yung action doon ng ICC (There’s a process. Don't they have a pending request for interim release? Maybe they should just wait for the ICC to act on it)," she said.