By Darryl John Esguerra | Philippine News Agency
Acknowledging that extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in the previous administration’s drug war remain unanswered, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said the testimonies of former President Rodrigo Duterte during a congressional inquiry on Wednesday “will be taken in” into the investigation of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) on the drug war killings.
According to Marcos, the statements will be assessed by the DOJ for possible case build-up.
“All of the testimony that was given yesterday…will be taken in and will be assessed to see what in legal terms, what is the real meaning and consequence of some of the statements made by PRRD (Duterte),” Marcos said in a media interview on Thursday.
“Now, if that will result in a case being filed here in the Philippines, we will just have to see. The DOJ will have to make that assessment.”
The President said he is waiting for the PNP report on its investigation of the alleged drug war killings.
“We are always monitoring all of these things because the question on EJK has not yet been answered,” he said.
Duterte appeared before the House of Representatives Quad-Committee probe into his administration’s bloody drug war.
At one point, he dared the International Criminal Court (ICC) to rush its investigation into his war on drugs over alleged crimes against humanity.
When asked by Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas whether or not he was willing to cooperate with the investigation, he said, “I am asking the ICC to hurry up and if possible, they can come here and start the investigation tomorrow.”
Asked to comment, Marcos said the government would not cooperate with the ICC but would not stop the former president if he wanted to subject himself to the tribunal’s investigation.
“If ’yon ang gugustuhin ni PRRD (Duterte) ay hindi naman kami haharang doon sa mga [tauhan ng] ICC. Hindi lang kami tutulong. Ngunit kung pumapayag siya na makipag-usap siya o magpaimbestiga siya sa ICC ay nasa kanya ’yon. Wala na kaming desisyon doon,” he told reporters.
Marcos had repeatedly asserted that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines after the country’s 2019 departure from the Rome statute operationalizing the tribunal, emphasizing that local courts are functioning.
However, the President said the government may be obliged to comply if the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) seeks Duterte’s arrest.
“We have obligations to Interpol and we have to live up to those obligations,” he said.
The DOJ issued the statement in relation to reports that the ICC may seek the help of Interpol to gain jurisdiction over Duterte to probe his administration’s war on drugs.
“Allow us to reiterate the DOJ’s position for clarity: the Secretary (Jesus Crispin Remulla) has repeatedly said that despite the withdrawal of the Philippines from the Rome Statute, the country remains a member country of the Interpol,” the agency said in a statement Wednesday.
“Thus, when requests are made by the ICC through the Interpol and Interpol, in turn, relays such requests to our country, the Philippine government is legally obliged to accord due course to the same, by all means,” it added.