ICC contacted over 50 active, ex-cops implicated in Duterte case -Trillanes
THE International Criminal Court (ICC) has communicated with more than 50 active and former police officials implicated in the crime against humanity case against ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV said Wednesday.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Trillanes cited a “highly credible information” on ICC’s recent move amid its investigation on Duterte’s drug war.
“The ICC investigators have already directly communicated with more than 50 active and former PNP officials regarding their being implicated in the crimes against humanity case of Rodrigo Duterte at the ICC,” he said.
If the concerned police officials do not express intention to cooperate, Trillanes said they will be tagged as “suspects” in the case, restricted from travel, and arrested by the INTERPOL.
“This means that if they do not immediately signify their intention to cooperate with the investigators, their status would be elevated to being suspects and, therefore, would result to travel restrictions initially and eventually arrest via Interpol,” he said.
Trillanes was among the individuals who sought ICC’s intervention in Duterte's drug war.
In a Kapihansa Manila Bay forum, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo said the police organization will take instructions from the national government on the matter.
“From the start naman po, malinaw naman ang paninindigan po ng inyong pambansang pulisya pagdating po sa mga investigation. However, with respect po doon sa ICC investigation, we will take our cue (from) the national government,” she said.
(From the start, the stance of your national police is clear when it comes to investigations. However, with respect to the ICC investigation, we will take our cue from the national government.)
Echoing the position of the national government, Fajardo reiterated that the Philippines has its own working judicial system to address the reports of abuses and irregularities by PNP personnel.
“Meron po tayong mga korte na puwedeng duminig kung meron mang pang-aabuso at mga iregularidad sa hanay po ng PNP. At ito ay napatunayan natin dahil may mga pulis po tayong nakasuhan, nakulong, at naconvict. So 'yun po ang gagawin ng PNP, magpapasakop po tayo sa jurisdiction po ng Pilipinas,” she added.
(We have courts that can hear if there is any abuse and irregularities in the ranks of the PNP. And we have proven this because we have police officers who have been charged, imprisoned, and convicted. So that's what the PNP will do, we will submit to the jurisdiction of the Philippines.)
On April 15, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said that his administration will not serve any arrest warrant from the ICC against Duterte, pointing out that the international body has no jurisdiction over the Philippines.
"We don't recognize the warrant that they will send to us...That's a no..We are well within international law when we take the position of not recognizing the jurisdiction of ICC in the Philippines," he said.
In February 2023, Marcos also said he would not cooperate with the investigation as he considers the ICC a threat to Philippine sovereignty.
In 2019, Duterte pulled the Philippines out of the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, after the tribunal began a probe into his administration's drug war.
More than 6,000 people were killed in Duterte's anti-narcotics campaign, but rights groups say that up to 30,000 may have been killed.