Six Du30 lawyers at The Hague ‘useless’

By Herbert Vego

WHAT are the six Filipino lawyers there for?

This question came to my mind on the first day of the pre-trial hearing of former President Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, for crimes against humanity.

As everyone now knows, there was no accredited Filipino lawyer in the defense team of British-Israeli counsel Nicholas Kaufman.

Kaufman, however, said that there were actually six Filipino lawyers in the gallery, tasked to “explain the proceedings to the Filipino nation, to the public.”

“Most importantly,” he added, “they will provide a clear and unbiased commentary on the proceedings for the benefit of the entire public in the Philippines.”

Well, we saw on TV those six Filipino lawyers — former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, former LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra III, former Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, former BIR Commissioner Caesar Dulay, former Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, and Alfredo Lim Jr. — in the company of other spectators in the gallery.

Duterte himself was not around in the first two days, having waived his right to be present in the courtroom because he does not recognize the ICC’s authority.

In contrast, there are two bright Filipino lawyers representing the “victims,” namely Joel Butuyan and Gilbert Andres.

The hearings, to be aired for two more days today and tomorrow, will determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed to a full trial six months from now.

Duterte is the first Asian former head of state to be indicted by the ICC for “crimes against humanity” for murder and attempted murder, as well as other offenses between Nov. 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019.

Video clips shown on the first and second days showed Duterte openly encouraging the police to shoot and kill suspected drug dealers and users.

Some human rights groups believe as many as 30,000 people were killed in the campaign, while the Philippine National Police (PNP) has only 6,000 on its records.

To say that he self-incriminated would not be far-fetched.

He had probably thought he was above international law.

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WELCOME TO THE ASEAN SUMMIT

WHILE driving around Iloilo City last Wednesday, I could not help but gasp over the unusually heavy traffic on major streets.

It could only mean that local and foreign tourists and visitors had come in droves for the 49th meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) economic ministers in this city beginning Wednesday until Friday (Feb. 25 to 27).

The summit gathered together hundreds of economic ministers and other delegates from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam at the Iloilo City Convention Center (ICCC) and several other venues.

“Our goal is reflected in our theme, ‘Navigating our future together,’” said Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Allan B. Gepty on opening day.

“We want to ensure that our future is inclusive and that it brings shared prosperity to our people, particularly in the province of Iloilo and other regions.”

In the restaurant where I ate lunch, the later customers had to either wait or move to another restaurant.

There are over 300 restaurants employing around 4,600 people, as recorded by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

Since it’s a first for Iloilo, I must congratulate Mayor Raisa S. Treñas for hosting the summit, which will surely boost the image of the city as the “Athens of the Philippines” because of its century-old buildings; and as UNESCO’s “Creative City of Gastronomy.”

As reported by the Daily Guardian, more than 1,700 security personnel have been deployed, from the Iloilo City Police, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, and Iloilo provinces, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine Red Cross-Iloilo, and the Bureau of Fire Protection to ensure the safety and comfort of the visitors.

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KUDOS TO MORE POWER, TOO

HATS off to MORE Power for ensuring 100% uninterrupted power supply in all venues of the ASEAN summit.

There will be no scheduled power interruption during the said event.

As told by Engineer Christopher Serojano, Assistant Vice President of MORE Power’s Network Development and Operations Group, comprehensive plans remain in place, including robust contingency measures for emergencies.

Meanwhile, MORE Power’s control center and customer help line will stay on duty 24 hours to answer consumers’ inquiries.