BBM’s options on ICC
AFTER the Department of Justice briefed President Marcos Jr. on the legal options open to him if he were to make the country rejoin the International Criminal Court established by the Roman Statute, BBM now is in a quandary in case the ICC would issue a warrant of arrest, possibly by midyear, on former President Rodrigo Duterte and other personalities, including his daughter Vice President Sara Duterte, concurrently Secretary of Education.
The other personalities involved are Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, then Philippine National Police Chief during the six-year bloody and brutal war by Duterte, Oscar Albayalde, the PNP Chief after de la Rosa became a senator, and others involved in that war against illegal drugs.
The other options of course would involve the political implications that could ensue because rejoining the Rome Statute could mean the breakup of the UniTeam Alliance between BBM and the Dutertes, fragile as it is, with the former President accusing BBM of being a drug taker, worsened by rallies in Davao City, joined in by Duterte and daughter where BBM was claimed to be drug taker, Santa Banana!
It has been claimed the ICC investigators had been able to come to the Philippines without the permission of the Marcos administration to investigate Duterte’s alleged crimes against humanity and violations of human rights during that brutal and bloody war against illegal drugs.
It will now be President Marcos Jr.’s job to decide whether or not the Philippines will rejoin the Rome Statute from which Duterte had withdrawn in 2019.
President Marcos Jr. had always been strong in his stance the ICC has no jurisdiction in the Philippines, having withdrawn membership from the Rome Statute.
To him, it will now be a big question whether or not to rejoin the Rome Statute and allow the entry of the ICC to serve that warrant of arrest.
I cannot second-guess what BBM will do considering all the legal and political options that would ensue. .
Santa Banana, it would definitely be a choice between a rock and a hard place!
In any case, the President would soon decide what option to take. As they say in the vernacular, ABANGAN.
Walking on a tightrope (JOV IGITNA ITO AT BOLD)
From the start of the continuing problem of the country on the West Philippine Sea with China incessantly bullying the Philippines and recently the episode of China’s use of high-pressured water cannons on Philippine vessels on missions to provide food provisions for the Filipino soldiers or on fisherfolk at Panatag, or Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc) off and west of Zambales, it has always been the job of President Marcos Jr. to maintain the country’s territorial integrity.
The big question now is how long can the President continue walking the tightrope with the continuous bullying by China?
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The big question now is how long can the President continue walking the tightrope with the continuous bullying by China?
So far BBM has been doing well to the point of having not only the United States, but also Japan, Australia and even France as allies in maintaining China’s compliance with international laws and the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea.
Despite everything, China continues its aggressive expansionist policy in the South China Sea.
The President continues with the Philippines’ many allies in trying to prevent China from asserting territorial claims at the WPS.
According to some analysts on the behavior of China, it all boils down to the reported millions of barrels of oil and gas in the South China Sea which China reportedly has an eye on.
This is why many analysts believe Vietnam and the Philippines should join hands against China’s aggressive territorial expansion.
Yes, the United States continues to claim the Mutual Defense Treaty between the US and the Philippines is “iron-clad” and the US will defend the Philippines from any aggression.
But remember the US is 11,265 kms away from China, but the Philippines is only 2,000 kms from China.