Rodrigo Duterte, the former leader of the Philippines, is alleged to have played a key role in the human rights abuses and crimes against humanity committed during the preceding government’s deadly war on drugs strategy, but international justice seems to be coming for him.
Duterte has repeatedly denied responsibility for the reportedly killing tens of thousands of people without undergoing the necessary legal proceedings. Former police officer Royina Garma revealed last week to a council before the election that the former president had offered police officials up to US$ 7,000 to kill suspected drug dealers and users.  ,
Garma claimed that Duterte wanted to use the previous campaign he led as mayor of Davao City, in which rewards and bonuses were given to officers officials who killed more than detained drug suspects, to model his country’s assault on drugs.  ,
The International Criminal Court ( ICC), which started looking into killings under Duterte’s rule in 2017, has been prompted by the damning allegation. Duette reportedly threatened to pull the ICC’s investigators to” crocodiles” if they entered the country and told his officials to refrain from cooperating with it.  ,
During his six years in office, which included 2016 and 2022, Duterte’s policy focus was the war on drugs, which was really common, according to several opinion polls. Years of dangerous anti-drug procedures and vigilant violence led to the deaths of thousands of Filipinos, according to some human rights organizations, who reportedly had as many as 30 000 people killed.
Duterte at the time demanded that drug users be” slaughtered” and also offered to pay the legal costs of police officers who were accused of carrying out the plan.
The former president after urged people to eliminate drug dealers during his first press conference, while he officially mandated that the nation’s top customs official shoot and kill drug smugglers in 2020.
Garma’s most recent discovery has raised concerns about fairness for drug combat victims and their families. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the current president, has so far resolutely opposed cooperating with the ICC in its investigation of Duterte, declaring to the internet in January that he would” not raise a hand” to aid in its studies.
Earlier, Marcos Jr’s unwillingness to engage was not unexpected. In the run-up to the 2022 election, the Marcos clan and the Duterte dynasty became democratic allies despite having much in common despite the Duterte clan’s being relative newcomers and their respective positions on power and wealth.
In a bid to merge their voting blocs, Sara Duterte, the former president’s daughter, sealed the alliance, which resulted in a political union that put Sara Duterte in the running chamfer of 2028.
However, the president might have a chance to change his mind about the ICC if the two people get into an extremely heated conflict. Vice President Sara Duterte just threatened to dig up the remains of the government’s father, former despot Ferdinand Marcos Senior, and put them into the ocean. The marriage has become irretrievably dangerous.
This comes after her ex-presidential parents made a public accusation of Marcos Jr. of being a “drug addiction” in January. He has also launched a campaign against Marcos Jr.’s corporate stance toward the US and away from China, which falls short of Duterte’s legacy of friendly relations with Beijing.
In June, Sara abruptly left Marcos Jr.’s government in the midst of numerous people disagreements. The Duterte family is well-known for having fears that Marcos Jr. may propose to amend the constitution to allow him to work for a minute six-year term, a potential challenge to Sara’s own presidential bid in 2028.
Marcos Jr. has so far been least likely to criticize his Duterte family rivals in public, but that does n’t mean he wo n’t ultimately cooperate with the ICC if it serves his political goals. According to reports, the ICC is reportedly planning to challenge a Duterte arrest warrant, which could make Marcos Jr.’s ideal situation a perfect match for an unanticipated walk.
Cooperating with the ICC might sour the Trump clan’s political interests, including the former mayor’s recently announced charge to become mayor of Davao City, a position he held for many conditions before becoming president.
Marcos Jr. made a commitment during his prosperous election campaign that would give him the chance to finally finish the contentious drug war. While the senator has made a genuine effort to combat illegal drugs with a less deadly, less lethal strategy, drug-related deaths have continued under his administration.
With surveys indicating new Filipino public support for the ICC’s investigation, Marcos Jr. has political support to resume his deadly anti-drug procedures once and for all.
That would also give the judge the chance to pursue those responsible for extrajudicial murders since 2016 and bring justice to the victims and their families from the drug war by holding the ex-president guilty.
This situation has the ability to be win-win for Marcos Jr. The president may win social points by cloning a gloomy and lethal chapter in the nation’s history, one that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people and left their families behind. The leader should use both hands when it comes to pursuing fairness because it offers both political and moral opportunities.