MANILA, Philippines 鈥� It would not be a surprise if different countries express openness to receiving former President Rodrigo Duterte should his bid for interim release from International Criminal Court (ICC) detention, his son and Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte said on Monday.
In a statement, the younger Duterte countered the opposition bloc 1Sambayan鈥檚 call to countries to refrain from accepting the former leader, should his interim release application be granted.
Former President Duterte is currently detained at the ICC headquarters in the Hague, the Netherlands, after the international body enforced an arrest order last March 11. Duterte is facing cases for allegedly committing the crime against humanity of mass murder during his administration鈥檚 drug war.
鈥淲e received news on another supposed group of people who call themselves 1sambayanan (sic), warning countries who will receive our former President Rody Duterte should his appeal for an interim release be approved,鈥� Rep. Duterte said.
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鈥淢ay I remind 1sambayanan that numerous countries have in fact lauded FPRRD in his crusade to combat crime in our country and I would not be surprised if many will express interest in receiving FPRRD in their respective country,鈥� he added.
According to Rep. Duterte, he supposedly has not heard anything from 1Sambayan when it was drug lords and New People鈥檚 Army (NPA) rebels who were terrorizing the country.
鈥淔irst of all, a citizen of this Republic had been kidnapped by his fellow Filipinos and never did we hear anything from this group neither did we hear anything from them when drug lords and NPA insurgents terrorized our fellow Filipino citizens. It is quite interesting now that these people would go on great lengths to warn states from receiving our very own president,鈥� he claimed.
鈥淭he international community is not blind with what is happening in our country. There is no crime against humanity but a legitimate action of a man who actually had the balls to do what is necessary to save his country from illegal drugs and criminality,鈥� he added.
Rep. Duterte was referring to the statement from 1Sambayan dated June 14, wherein the group assailed the former president鈥檚 release bid. The civil society organization also warned other countries against accepting Duterte, saying that such a decision will have serious implications.
鈥淭he reported attempt by former President Rodrigo Duterte (also known as Du30) to secure interim release from [ICC] detention is a profound insult to the Filipino people and a blatant disregard for the victims of his regime鈥檚 brutal human rights abuses. 1SAMBAYAN, a broad coalition of Filipino civil society organizations, vehemently condemns this maneuver,鈥� the group said.
鈥淎ny nation considering hosting Duterte under interim release must seriously consider the implications of such a decision. Granting refuge to a figure accused of such grave crimes would not only undermine the integrity of the ICC process but would also send a dangerous message to other potential perpetrators of human rights abuses worldwide: that impunity is attainable,鈥� it added.
Should Duterte鈥檚 interim release be granted, he will be allowed to be transferred to another country. The former leader鈥檚 lawyers cited his advanced age and a vow not to flee or commit any further crimes as a compelling reason to grant this request.
According to Duterte鈥檚 lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, a third country had already expressed its 鈥渁dvance and principled agreement to receive Mr. Duterte onto its territory.鈥�
鈥淢r. Duterte is no longer the President of the Philippines, and does not command the same influence or power he is said to have abused during the period of the alleged crimes,鈥� the request stated.
But 1Sambayan said accepting Duterte would be a 鈥渂etrayal of the international commitment to justice and accountability, and would severely damage the reputation of the host country on the world stage.鈥�
Rep. Duterte meanwhile urged Filipinos to pray for his father.
鈥淧resident Duterte is already weak and old, his only dream right now is to return to his country and be with his family. He is no longer a threat to the presidency as he is already legally barred from doing so. Sadly, the very country that he served cannot accept him back because of its leaders who now disown him,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 appeal to my fellow Filipinos鈥� let us continue to pray for FPRRD and that he may finally return to his country that he dearly loves and faithfully serves,鈥� he added.
While former President Duterte was praised for addressing the country鈥檚 drug problem, there were concerns from human rights advocates early on that there were rights disregarded in the implementation of the drug war.
After his administration, different bodies have initiated different investigations of the drug war, particularly allegations of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in the conduct of the police operations, like Oplan Tokhang鈥攁 portmanteau of Visayan words 鈥渢oktok鈥� or to knock, and 鈥渉angyo鈥� or to plead.
Despite Tokhang being just about knocking on doors, there were incidents where innocent individuals were killed during drug busts. In August 2017, 17-year-old Kian delos Santos was killed despite not being the original target of the anti-drug operation in Caloocan City. He was shot point-blank even if camera footage showed him pleading for his life.
Two days before Delos Santos was killed, the bodies of 19-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz and 14-year-old Reynaldo 鈥淜ulot鈥� de Guzman were found in different areas鈥擜rnaiz at a funeral in Caloocan City, and De Guzman, in a creek in Nueva Ecija. Such incidents became the basis for personalities who sued Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity charges, before the ICC. /cb