GMA's resolution in defense of Duterte
Former president Rodrigo Duterte has done so much for GMA, mostly concerning the cases she faced, and obviously, to return the favor, she filed that House Resolution 780 "In Defense of Former President Duterte, The 16th President of the Philippines, Against Investigation and/or Prosecution of the ICC". It was also GMA who brokered the historic alliance between BBM and Inday Sara and allowed her party, Likas, to become the major political vehicle for the Marcos-Duterte tandem to allegedly win the 2022 presidential polls.
Well, we all know that more than Duterte, more than PBBM, and more than even Ferdinand Marcos Sr., GMA is perhaps the most ultimate and consummate traditional politician. All for the sake of promoting her own political ambitions and aspirations, we already knew her to be capable of doing anything and everything to assure victory in any political contest. And a non-binding resolution is just a small token of gratitude from one ex-president to another. There were notable characters who signed the GMA Resolution, which included her Pampanga loyalists, representatives Carmelo Lazatin, Aurelio Gonzales, Anna York Bondoc-Sagum, and the forever GMA followers Richard Gomez, Edward Hagedorn, Eric Olivarez, and Eric Martinez.
It is highly noticeable, however, that the said resolution was not co-authored by the speaker and his wife, nor by the favorite presidential son and heir apparent, the senior deputy majority leader, the honorable Sandro Araneta Marcos. That could only mean that such a political gimmick did not enjoy the blessing of Malacañang.
The 99-year-old presidential legal adviser, Juan Ponce Enrile and the executive secretary Justice Luke Bersamin know better than that cheap stroke. Everybody knows that even if they pass all kinds of resolutions, the International Criminal Court would not care at all. That resolution is not binding. It is nothing but political pressure. If these guys believe that Duterte had done nothing wrong, why bother.
What surprised me is that no congressman from Cebu, with the single exception of Cebu City South District Rep. Edu Rama, signed that Resolution concocted by GMA. That means that the Garcias are distancing themselves from GMA. After what happened to then deputy speaker Gwen, who supported Speaker Bebot Alvarez against the blitzkrieg coup staged by GMA, all was not warm between GMA and the Garcias. Former deputy speaker Pablo John Garcia of the 3rd District did not sign it nor the governor's favorite son-in-law, incumbent Deputy Speaker Duke Frasco of the 5th District. I do not know at all why Congressman Edu supported the GMA resolution. He must know something we all do not know.
That resolution stressed what it called Duterte's "remarkable accomplishments brought about by his relentless campaign against illegal drugs, insurgency, separatism and terrorism, corruption in government and criminality" which the authors said "made the life of Filipinos better, comfortable and peaceful.” The resolution also made mention of irrelevant matters like the so-called unprecedented growth in exports and investments during the Duterte presidency. It also cited the DOJ secretary's statement that the ICC's intention to resume investigation is supposedly insulting and totally unacceptable.
All such saber-rattling by trapos in the House do not bind the ICC and cannot protect Duterte. It is just too obvious as a plain politicking. The people may be silly at times in supporting trapos, but the Filipinos are not stupid to fall for this.
As the sage would say, they can fool some people all the time or all people sometimes. But they cannot fool all the people all the time. If GMA and her co-authors have a little respect for the people, they should have not taken such a nonsense move.