Duterte shrugs off ICC case

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday shrugged off a lawyer’s request for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate him and his administration’s war on illegal drugs.

“Let them be. I can’t do anything about that. Nobody can stop [them] the sidelines of a joint press conference with visiting Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in Malacañang.

“You can even invent one and go - dent added.

In the 77-page complaint before the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, Jude Sabio, lawyer of self-confessed Davao Death Squad (DDS) hitman Edgar Matobato, accused Duterte and 11 - ing liable for crimes against humanity for the spate of deaths in the drug war.

The complaint cited testimonies from Matobato, another self- confessed DDS assassin Arthur Lascañas, and reports from human rights groups and media organizations.

When asked if he wanted to read Sabio with the ICC, Duterte said no.

“Why would I waste my time? If I go to prison, then so be it,” the President said.

Amid allegations by international human rights groups that police of Duterte defended the police for carrying out his orders to kill drug suspects.

“Why would I attribute it to the police when I was the one who ordered? I have to repeat it, I think this will be the nth time, ‘Go out and hunt them. Arrest them. If you’re confronted with a reaction thereby endangering your

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday vowed to deal harshly with the owners of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) whom he accused of not paying billions

In a news conference, the President said the government will reclaim the state- owned prime Makati property called the Creek

“I will recover the property for the Filipinos. Everybody who has will go after them. I will get back. Inquirer, you have to let go of that property. It is not yours,” Duterte said.

“‘Yung mga crusaders na mga newspaper, bakit sila corrupt rin? ( Those crusading newspapers, why are they also corrupt?) Answer me. That Mile Long. Who He is married to Prieto... I assure you, after all of these things here, I will start to recover what is government’s property, including that Inquirer. The loudest, one of the loudest of it all. Crusader kuno, ‘yun pala crony rin (It acts like a crusader, but it is after all a crony),” he added.

Duterte’s statement came a few days after former Ambassador Rigoberto Tiglao, a columnist of TheManilaTimes , revealed

“If government’s claims are valid, and its figures accurate, the Rufino/ Prietos’ liabilities and Development Corp. would be this P1.8 billion, plus the P1.5 Donuts. That would total nearly P3 billion, putting them in the league of Chinese- Filipino ty evaders,” Tiglao said.

“No wonder President Duterte himself angrily said in a recent speech that he will investigate the case, which was reported to him as having been a ‘ sweetheart deal’ when it was leased by a state firm to the Rufino/ Prietos’ firm Sunvar Realty Development Corp,” he added.

Tiglao said the property “was in 1980 and 1983, allegedly at a scandalously low rental by the Technology Resource Center Foundation, controlled at the time by in 2002, although the Prietos continued to control the property as if nothing happened, and refused to vacate it.”

The Prietos also own Golden - pine franchisee of the international brand Dunkin’ Donuts.

Duterte earlier said the donut business of the Prietos also did not

The President also threatened to block the renewal of the franchise of ABS- CBN for alleged “swindling.”

He claimed that the network did not show his political ads during the 2016 campaign period although his team had paid for the air time.

“[ The franchise] has been there for 25 years. The law said it’s okay, only if you adhere to journalistic standards. What did you do to us? Estafa, swindling, not only me but Chiz Escudero, many of us. Son of a bitch, you collected outright then you commit estafa,” Duterte said.

- gress, no need to renew it. But to operate is something else, so I will point this out, your garbage, then we’ll see,” he added.

Asked if he would “block” the franchise of ABS- CBN, said, “Yes, if you’re engaged in swindling.”

House Bill 4349, which seeks to renew the franchise granted to ABS-CBN for 25 years, is still at the committee level.