Duterte’s former police chief rejected a plan to send the Senate drug documents to the ICC

A SENATOR who enforced the drug war that killed former President Rodrigo R. Duterte as national police chief on Tuesday canceled a plan to hand over documents to the Philippine Senate’s investigation into the International Criminal Court (ICC) attack, saying this would mean that. recognizing the authority of the commission to investigate crimes against humanity allegedly committed by the government.

“Granting their request is like seeing their power over us,” Senator Ronald M. dela Rosa told a news conference. “And our government is consistent in declaring that the ICC has no jurisdiction over us, so I hope as a branch equal to the Supreme Court, that we follow the same line.”

The Hague-based court is looking into alleged crimes against humanity committed during the drug war, in which thousands of suspects died.

The government estimates that at least 6,117 people died in Mr.

Senate President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero earlier said the Senate would agree to submit to the ICC the official transcript of the recent blue ribbon subcommittee hearing where Mr.

The outspoken former President admitted that he ordered the police in his hometown of Davao City when he was its mayor to incite criminals to retaliate during anti-narcotics raids so that the police would have a reason to retaliate, adding that he was beaten up by a team tasked to eradicate crime.

He also said that his former bosses were “death squad bosses” as they looked after criminal organizations, but denied ordering them to kill innocent people.

“We must also ask what purpose do we need to provide a certified true copy of a document?” Mr. Dela Rosa it asked.

The former police chief previously said he was not worried about the ICC during the Senate’s investigation into the incident, adding that he would not take part in the investigation.

Withdrawing from the investigation would be “a disservice to the Filipino people,” he said, citing the need to counter lies and paint a true picture of the campaign against illegal drugs.

The Philippines under Mr Duterte withdrew from the ICC in March 2018 amid criticism that his government had systematically killed drug suspects in police raids. It started working a year later.

Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. he denied that he would work with the ICC, citing the judicial system in place in the country.

“I’m not worried [about the ICC],” said Mr. Dela Rosa. “If Malacañang says we don’t see the power of the ICC, we must not consider it as a country.”

Also on Tuesday, members of the congress said that Mr. Duterte should keep his promise and attend a separate House of Representatives investigation into his anti-drug campaign.

Mr. Duterte had assured the House that he was is willing to attend the hearing of the House quad committee on allegations of extrajudicial killings during his administration, according to a letter sent by his lawyer last month to Surigao del Norte lawyer Robert Ace S. Barbers, who heads the panel.

The House Quad committee will meet again on Thursday to continue its investigation.

“It will show that he is not afraid of accountability, as he showed in the Senate investigation, where he took responsibility and stood up for the victims of extrajudicial killings during his administration,” said Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong in a statement.

Mr. Duterte should attend the committee’s hearing because there has been a “repeated need for public accountability” regarding his drug war policy, Zambales lawyer Jefferson F. Khonghun said in a separate statement. “Innocent lives have been lost because of the so-called war against illegal drugs.”

The lawyers of Mr. Duterte may advise him to skip the House hearing to avoid incriminating himself, La Union Representative Francisco Paolo P. Ortega V said in a separate statement.

“I believe that his legal team may follow the ‘play it safe’ strategy of ‘less talk, fewer mistakes,’ and they can best achieve this by advising Duterte not to attend the quad committee hearing,” he said. “They will only go deeper if the former President speaks.”

Mr. Duterte told the Senate that he takes “full legal and moral responsibility” for the mistakes and crimes of his anti-drug campaign. – John Victor D. Ordoñez again Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio