‘Sovereignty’ misused to evade accountability

By Herbert Vego

“OUR country is a sovereign nation with a functioning justice system.”

More or less, these are the words we hear from President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and other apologists – among them Justice Secretary Jesus Remulla, former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Senators Bato dela Rosa, Robin Padilla and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada – who would like the International Court of Justice (ICC) to abort its probe of the extra-judicial killings (EJKs) in the Philippines during Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s incumbency.

Jinggoy even had the nerve to call visitors from the European Union (EU) “puting unggoy” (white monkeys) for looking into the Philippines’ reported human rights violations.

I wonder whether it would be funnier to call him “Jinggoy unggoy.”

If they truly believe that Duterte and cohorts had not perpetuated those EJKs, should not they have asked him to face the music to prove their innocence instead of citing lack of ICC’s jurisdiction?

Yes, the Philippines enjoys sovereignty for having earned independence from Spain and the United States. We are run by a supposedly democratic government led by a President.

But sovereignty does not reside in the President.  To quote the Constitution (Article II, Sec. 1), “Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them.”

On whether we have a functioning judiciary, not so far as “extrajudicial-killings” are concerned. As admitted by the Philippine National Police, more than 600 suspects in Duterte’s “war on drugs” have been killed.  However, human rights groups believe it’s more or less 25,000.

Of that number, only the murder of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos in the hands of three Manila policemen ended up solved. In November 2018, they were sentenced to 40 years in prison without parole.

Former Senator Leila de Lima has languished in jail for already six years on non bailable drug charges despite the recantation of state-appointed witnesses (mostly convicted New Bilibid prisoners) who had admitted concocting false testimonies against her.  She pinpoints Duterte as the “persecutor” getting back at her. Thus, her case cries out for the ICC to step in.

De Lima was chairman of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) during the incumbency of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Duterte was then the mayor of Davao City.

She conducted an investigation and public hearings on the notorious Davao Death Squad, an alleged group of policemen and hired assassins who allegedly killed street children and individuals suspected of petty crimes and drug dealing, but to no avail in the absence of witnesses.

One of the 39 persons quizzed by De Lima was Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who denied the existence of the DDS.

No less than then Congressman Prospero Nograles had passed the resolution urging the CHR to conduct a probe of alleged extra-judicial killings in the city.

The election of President Benigno Aquino III in 2010 saw her assuming a cabinet post as the Secretary of Justice.

On getting elected as senator in 2016, she decided to pursue investigation against the DDS.  But it was also the year when Duterte won the presidency.

Senator Leila de Lima succeeded in inviting Arturo Lascanas and Edgar Matobato – a retired police officer and hitman, respectively – to confess their participation in the killings.  Their testimonies were documented and video-recorded.

Senator Richard Gordon (the Senate committee chair on human rights), however, said there was not enough proof about their allegations and even opined that “there was an effort to pin down the mayor or President Duterte.”

To go back to the legitimacy of ICC “interference” in the wake of the failed Senate probe, it would be interesting to note that, in 2011, President Noynoy Aquino and the Senate – which included Marcos, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Mig Zubiri, Alan Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Chiz Escuero, Lito Lapid and Bong Revilla – ratified the Rome Statute and became the 117th member of the ICC.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is a permanent, international criminal court that was established in 2002 to investigate and prosecute individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression.

On March 17, 2018, announced the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC.

According to article 127 of the Statute, however, crimes committed before  the effectivity of the withdrawal will still fall under the jurisdiction of the Court.

If indeed, they believe they have nothing to fear, now is the time for the EJK suspects to clear themselves.

-oOo-

GOOD NEWS FROM MORE POWER

As reported by our editor Francis Allan L. Angelo, electricity consumers of Iloilo City have been experiencing continuous decreases in their electricity bills for three consecutive months.

From P14.84 per kilowatt-hour in the November 2022 billing, it has slid down by P1.20 to P13.64 per kWh. today.  The downward trend is expected to continue.

This could be attributable to the declining price of coal in the world market from $400 to $200 per metric ton.

Moreover, as far as MORE Power is concerned, it would also be enjoying a 20-megawatt geothermal power supply contract with Energy Development Corp. Geothermal fuel costs less than coal. Thanks to MORE Power President Roel Castro for finding ways.

This should appease our friend Madam Raquel who has been uneasy about prices rising faster than “las cuatro”.

Don’t you agree, Madam Raquel?