‘I’m ready to rot in jail’

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(UPDATE) FORMER president Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday egged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to speed its investigation of his bloody war on drugs and said he was ready to “rot in jail” if he were found guilty.

In Wednesday’s hearing by the House of Representatives’ quad committee, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas asked Duterte whether he was willing to cooperate with the ICC probe, which he had previously rejected.

“I’m asking the ICC to hurry up and, if possible, they can come here and start the investigation tomorrow. This issue has been left hanging for so many years. It’s taken too long, ma’am. If I die, they won’t be able to investigate me,”

QUAD PANEL HEARING Former president Rodrigo Duterte answers lawmakers during the hearing held by the quad panel on Nov. 13, 2024. PHOTO BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE

said the 79-year-old Duterte.

“And so I’m asking the ICC through you… And if I am found guilty, I will go to prison and rot there for all time,” he said.

The Philippines, on Duterte’s orders, withdrew from the ICC in 2019 after it announced an investigation into his bloody war on drugs, which killed on record about 6,500 drug suspects — though human rights groups say the death toll could go higher than 20,000.

In January 2024, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who succeeded Duterte in 2022, said he, like his predecessor, did not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC in the Philippines.

Following Duterte’s remarks Wednesday, the Palace said the government would neither object nor block the former of his intent to submit himself to the ICC over his war on drugs and the extrajudicial killings that ensued.

In a statement, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the Philippines would even cooperate with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) if it issues a Red Notice against Duterte in light of the ICC’s drug war case.

A Red Notice is a request “to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.”

“If the former president desires to surrender himself to the jurisdiction of the ICC, the government will neither object to it nor move to block the fulfillment of his desire,” Bersamin said, referring to former president Duterte.

“But if the ICC refers the process to the Interpol, which may then transmit a Red Notice to the Philippine authorities, the government will feel obliged to consider the red notice as a request to be honored, in which case the domestic law enforcement agencies shall be bound to accord full cooperation to the Interpol pursuant to established protocols,” he added.

Former president Rodrigo Duterte attends the House of Representatives Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order & Safety, Human Rights and Public Accounts Joint Committee Meeting on Nov. 13, 2024. PHOTOS BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE

The Department of Justice also said if the ICC seeks the assistance of Interpol in its investigation, the Philippine government would be legally bound to process and respond to such requests in accordance with the country’s international commitments.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Wednesday underscored the country’s commitment to international law and its obligations to uphold international comity.

Despite the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute — an international treaty that established the ICC—Remulla emphasized that the country remains a member of Interpol, which could potentially play a role in facilitating international requests for cooperation.

Duterte, who has consistently rejected the ICC, said the court did not scare him at all.

“They can come here anytime. I suppose that you would want to maybe make it easy for them to visit and start the investigation. I would welcome that,” he said.

Duterte, citing the problem of illegal drugs, also said in Filipino and English during the House hearing that he had “to issue or make a policy statement about drugs. And all that happened pursuant to my order to stop the drug problem in this country, that is mine.”

“I gave the order,” he said.

He added that anything the police did — “illegal or not” — it was he who ordered the drug war. “In that sense, I take that responsibility for their actions,” he said.

In the House hearing, Duterte was with his lawyers Martin Delgra III, Salvador Panelo, and Silvestre Bello III.

Duterte and former justice secretary and former senator Leila de Lima were seated beside each other.

Earlier, the committee had canceled the Wednesday hearing to give it more time to vet affidavits submitted by witnesses and resource persons but pushed through with the session when they learned Duterte would attend.

The House quad committee told Duterte they were conducting the hearing not to judge him for his actions during his administration but to listen to his side.

In his opening remarks, quad comm overall chairman and Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers told Duterte that the members of the panel would like to ask him questions that would be used to protect the rights of the accused and those who have been affected by creating new laws or amending or repealing current laws.

“In the continuation of our hearing about extrajudicial killings, we would like to assure you that we will respect your rights. We are not here to judge you, but we want to hear your side. You are a lawyer, so we know how you would protect your rights,” Barbers said.

He added that they continued their hearing despite their earlier reported cancellation to take advantage of his presence in Manila despite his earlier threat to confront the members of the quad comm.

He also assured Duterte that the testimony used by the committee would not be used as a basis to file criminal charges against him, whether in the local courts or in the ICC.

“We are not here to judge you, but we want to hear the truth from you and your answers to the accusations against you. We did not accuse you as we do not know what happened, but other resource persons were the ones who accused you,” Barbers said.

Meanwhile, quad comm co-chairman Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. warned Duterte not to use foul language.

“I only wish that while we are talking with you right now, we hope that you respect our quad comm hearing by not using vulgar words,” Abante said.

He said that while he was one with Barbers in calling for respect for the former president, it did not mean that it would defer to him every time.

“While we should be respectful, we cannot be deferential. We answer to a power greater than any president — we answer to the Filipino people and to God,” Abante said.

As Duterte spoke to the House panel, several groups, including those aligned with the former president, voiced their opposition to the ongoing investigation by the ICC.

The protestors said the ICC’s actions violate the country’s sovereignty and challenge the legitimacy of foreign interference in domestic affairs.

Karen Poblete, spokesman for the group that organized the rally, emphasized that the Philippines’ judicial system is capable of addressing any human rights violations related to the drug war.

“The Philippines is a sovereign nation,” Poblete told The Manila Times in an interview. “We do not need external forces imposing their will on us, especially when we have our own legal processes in place to handle issues of justice and accountability.”

Akbayan party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña on Tuesday said Duterte’s intent to intimidate members of the House of Representatives quad committee would not work.

“If he can intimidate the Senate, he can’t do that in Congress. We’ll make sure to utilize the committee hearing to ferret out the truth,” he said.

“We hope to use his arrogance against him… His unrestrained display of bravado dug his own political grave,” the lawmaker added.

WITH FRANCO JOSE C. BAROÑA AND ARIC JOHN SY CUA

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