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More than half – 51% – of respondents in a recent survey believe former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte should be criminally charged for the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) his administration wantonly committed in his deadly war on drugs. Only 25% disagree, even as the rest are either undecided, lack enough information, or completely do not care at all.
This latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey should douse cold water on the false narrative that the former president has the full support of Filipinos and actually disproves the notion that the Filipinos see the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) proceedings as unjustified. The survey was conducted before Duterte’s arrest and turnover to the ICC for alleged crimes against humanity.
Even in places where Duterte used to have strong support in the past, the survey statistics show a growing demand for justice. The highest percentage of respondents calling for accountability was recorded In the Visayas, a former Duterte stronghold. Even in his political base, Mindanao, 47% said the former president must answer for his actions.
This is most alarming for Duterte and his allies who are now scrambling to defend the former’s legacy that is being overshadowed by his administration’s brutality. Many attribute this shift to the explosive House quad committee (QuadCom) hearings which ended a few months ago. During the QuadCom hearings, the testimonies of key witnesses — many of whom once worked with the former president and his cohorts — undeniably left a deep impact on those who learned about the dark truths of the Duterte drug war. The survey signals a national awakening, especially among those who believe that no leader should act with impunity. Filipinos are no longer willing to turn a blind eye to crimes that fracture the moral fabric of the country.
Each extrajudicial killing represents a life lost, a family shattered, and a tear in the fabric of society. Demanding for justice is not just about politics. It is about the inherent worth that individual persons possess that makes them worthy of respect, regardless of their characteristics or circumstances. The belief in human dignity is the foundational principle of morality and the society. This growing resolve calls for systemic reforms, sending a clear message that justice must prevail because no leader is above the law.
The Senate probe into Duterte’s arrest — bathed in drama and musical scoring — further fortifies the government’s position, mainly due the masterful defense by General Nicolas Torre III, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr., and Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla. The inquiry, led by presidential sister Senator Imee Marcos, has failed to demolish the government’s position that Duterte’s arrest was all done in lawful order. According to Vantage Point insiders, Ms. Marcos wants to approximate the huge public interest generated by the lower chamber’s QuadCom’s investigations. She failed.
Sara impeachment next?
As Duterte prepares for his ICC defense, using foreign lawyers purportedly experts in international law, his daughter Vice President (VP) Sara faces brutal impeachment proceedings which many are clamoring to be done by the Senate sooner than later.
But Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero remains unmoved. In a letter meant to respond to Vantage Point piece “Chiz, hemming and hawing on VP Sara impeachment,” published on March 4, he maintained that he is neither pro-nor anti-impeachment, and that he is “pro-Rule of Law.”
On the position taken by constitutional experts that there are solid legal grounds to immediately commence the impeachment proceedings, Escudero maintains that he is not relying on constitutional text alone: “My views regarding the impeachment process are grounded not just in legal theory, but in a deep understanding of Senate rules and historical precedent. This is where I stand apart from 99.9% of the lawyers commenting on the case — I’ve been there before.”
In a direct slight on Vantage Point, the Senate President says: “Whatever your opinions about my choice of attire or my manner of speaking, my cautious approach should not be construed as a delaying tactic, nor should it be interpreted as favoritism. It should be seen as a deliberate effort to ensure that the Senate, as an impeachment court, is seen as fair and impartial.”
But what I find concerning is that, while Escudero claims to adhere to the rule of law, he refuses to bow to the command of the Constitution. Also, he should realize that there is a criminal element in VP Sara’s impeachment. The longer he hems and haws, the rule that “justice delayed is justice denied” stands.
ICC clips Duterte’s fangs
The man who terrorized the country, bent democratic institutions to his will, and killed tens of thousands of Filipinos was meek as a lamb when he appeared via video before ICC judges and prosecutors on Friday, March 14.
From the looks of it, many people opine that the former president, considering his age and frail health, may die in The Hague. If the ICC were to grant him “interim release” on humanitarian grounds — which is said to be a remote possibility — the tribunal would require him to stay in the Netherlands for the duration of the trial. Such a trial may take up to eight years, legal experts say.
Mr. Duterte may not be able to see the conclusion of the trial. Even if he does, with the overwhelming evidence against him, conviction is almost certain. That means decades of incarceration.
How did the old man end up in prison so far away from home?
Despite the enormity of his crimes, Mr. Duterte could have escaped accountability if he had sense enough to accept his fate as a former president, graciously playing the role of an elder statesman. Alas, he just could not bear the thought that another man was wielding the powers he once had.
At first, the criticism Mr. Duterte lobbed against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (PBBM) was muted, even playful. However, encouraged by the reception from his supporters, he doubled down. He called Marcos Jr. a heroin addict and a weakling, unfit for the position he held. He demanded the latter’s resignation, implying that his daughter VP Sara should take over.
Credible threat
Mr. Duterte posed an existential threat. That left PBBM with no choice, but to go on the offensive. He convened a group, consisting of Defense Secretary Teodoro, DILG Secretary Remulla, and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, to execute Mr. Duterte’s arrest on the strength of a Red Notice issued by the Interpol the previous day.
The disclosure of the last named official’s participation in the planning came as a surprise. The former president trusted Mr. Año so much that he named him DILG chief, the man in charge of the national police and all government units, from 2018 to 2022.
Indeed, loyalty is fleeting and allegiance, transferable to another master.
It helped that Mr. Duterte had earlier flown to Hong Kong, there to bask in the adoration of his fans, mostly Filipino expats working as domestic workers and drivers, without realizing that there was already a warrant for his arrest. The country was abuzz with talks of his impending arrest, but he and his family dismissed it all as fake news.
Of course, the administration did nothing to disabuse their minds. It may have even planted the idea — with Mr. Año perhaps providing the insight into the thought processes of father and daughter — that the reports were just a reiteration of the rumor that had been circulating since the beginning of the year.
Their egos freshly stoked by the adoring crowd in Hong Kong, the former president and current vice president must have felt invincible. They boarded the plane back home, ignoring their lawyers who wanted them to stay put for a while and wait for further developments.
CIDG Director Torre, with his group of police and soldiers, promptly arrested Mr. Duterte the moment he set foot on land at NAIA’s arrival gate. FPRRD was whisked away with his family in tow to Villamor Air Base, where he could be isolated. He was then put on a bus for the short trip back to NAIA, where a Gulfstream G550 plane waited to transport him, former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea, and a nurse to the waiting arms of the international tribunal at The Hague.
The plane had been chartered by the Office of the President.
The former president still commands a sizable following. If he dies in prison, VP Sara would likely capitalize on her father’s “martyrdom” when she runs for president. How she performs the task would determine victory or defeat at the polls.
Ms. Duterte is taking a page from the EDSA People Power playbook. Rallies staged by diehard Duterte supporters (DDS), held in major cities of the country, are already shamelessly appropriating the EDSA songs “Bayan Ko” and “Magkaisa.”
The death of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. catapulted his wife Corazon “Cory” Cajuangco Aquino to the presidency from 1986 to 1992. The former senator was treacherously shot by soldiers on the NAIA tarmac upon return from exile in the United States, on orders, most people believe, of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos. Unflinching and resolute, Ninoy faced death with dignity, In contrast, Mr. Duterte was proverbially dragged, kicking and screaming, to the plane that brought him to the ICC to be tried for crimes against humanity.
How does Duterte fare when compared with Cory, who occupied the highest office of the land before he did?
The contrast is night and day. Mrs. Aquino was known for her piety. Mr. Duterte called the Christian God “stupid” and made fun of the Creation narrative. He referred to Pope Francis John Paul II, who was then visiting the Philippines, as the “son of a whore.”
Finally, Mr. Duterte plunged the country into a river of blood and emptied the treasury. Nobody, not even her worst enemy, would accuse Cory Aquino of killing anybody or stealing anything.
VP Sara and her father apparently believe that a substantial number of the Filipino electorate does not have the intellect to make the distinction between their DDS rallies and the EDSA People Power Revolution. – Rappler.com
Val A. Villanueva is a veteran business journalist. He was a former business editor of the Philippine Star and the Gokongwei-owned Manila Times. For comments, suggestions email him at mvala.v@gmail.com.
