MANILA, Philippines — “Yung lahat ng sinasabi ngayon, ano ito, first step towards accountability, justice, na pinagdaanan din ni Senator Leila.”
(Everything that is being said now, this is the first step towards accountability, justice, which Senator Leila went through.)
“Kaya all these talks about everything – due process, how unfair everything is – lagi kong nababalik doon sa sitwasyon.”
(That’s I will always go back to [her] situation with all these talks about everything, due process, and how unfair everything is.)
This is what former Vice President Leni Robredo said when she compared the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte and former Senator Leila de Lima’s incarceration.
In a press conference in Bicol, Robredo and de Lima were asked if the country has enough domestic laws to justify the arrest of Duterte.
The former president was brought to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands for to face the charge of having committed crimes against humanity.
She cited Republic Act No, 9851 which states that “our Philippine authorities, or government, can defer to an international tribunal and can surrender the subject of the investigation” to the international court.
De Lima also cited a Supreme Court ruling which states that the ICC retains jurisdiction over the crimes committed during the times the Philippines was still a member of the international tribunal.
The Philippines withdrew its membership in March 2018, but the withdrawal took effect in March 2019.
Meanwhile, Robredo said the situation of de Lima when she was arrested was different from what Duterte is supposed to have experienced under the custody of ICC.
She described the living conditions of de Lima during her detention,
She recalled de Lima’s lack of access to computers, phones and internet when she was jailed, despite the fact that she was still fulfilling her duties as a senator.
De Lima had been acquitted from multiple criminal cases, including three illegal drug trade raps, filed against her.
“She was incarcerated for almost seven years for trumped up charges,” Robredo said.
(She was incarcerated for almost seven years for trumped up charges.)
“Hindi nya kinwestyon yung due process. She had to go through everything. Kahit mali yung mga paratang sa kanya, lahat nya yung hinarap,” Robredo emphasized.
(She did not question the due process. She had to go through everything. Even if the accusations were false, she faced all of them.)
De Lima on Tuesday said Duterte’s arrest is “deeply personal” for her as she was imprisoned for her criticism of the ex-president’s war on illegal drugs.
She also said Duterte being made to answer the cases “is about justice finally taking its course.”
Duterte on Friday night (Philippine time) made an appearance for the first time before the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I.
The former president was a subject of the arrest warrant issued by the ICC for crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the war on illegal drugs launched by his administration.
The official copy of the arrest warrant issued by the ICC that the government received from the International Police Organization (Interpol) became the basis of Duterte’s arrest.
Based on government data, the war on drugs claimed around 6,000 lives.
