KARAPATAN assailed a bill filed by Sen. Imee Marcos, dubbed the President Rodrigo R. Duterte Act if passed into law, prohibiting the transfer of individuals within Philippine territory to any foreign entity not recognized through a treaty, or without the person’s consent or a local court order.
The bill references Duterte’s arrest by the Interpol last March on the basis of a valid arrest warrant for crimes against humanity issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“Imee Marcos wants to turn the country into a haven for Duterte’s co-conspirators in the drug war as well as other high-ranking political leaders and military officers who may be held liable in the future for crimes against humanity,” said KARAPATAN secretary general Cristina Palabay. “Among those she wants to shield are Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa who is reportedly on the verge of being arrested by the ICC,” she added. “Even Imee Marcos’ own brother Ferdinand Jr. may benefit, should such a law be passed, since he is already accountable for numerous war crimes perpetrated in the course of his brutal counter-insurgency war,” she said.
“This bill plays into the myth of a competent and fully functioning justice system in the country, one that dispels any hint of impunity,” decried Palabay. “And yet no less than the Department of Justice has admitted that it could not prosecute suspects in the drug war killings because the police refused to cooperate and hand over evidence and necessary documents, among others,” she said. “Facing a brick wall, the DOJ had to admit that it had no choice but to allow the ICC to pursue cases related to Duterte’s bloody war on drugs.”
“This bill is thoroughly self-serving and is a slap in the face of the tens of thousands of victims of Duterte’s drug war as well as those who suffered other injustices committed under his regime,” concluded Palabay.
