FOLLOWING former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s own admission under oath that he was responsible for the “shortcomings” of his administration’s war on drugs, a House leader on Tuesday said the former President now must be held accountable for crimes against humanity.
According to House Quad Comm co-chair Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr., under Republic Act No. (RA) 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity, Duterte’s admission meets all the elements of command responsibility for crimes against humanity.
“When a leader knowingly permits the slaughter of civilians under his watch, and when he admits that he bears responsibility, it is an inescapable truth: he is criminally liable,” Abante stressed.
In Duterte’s shocking testimony before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Monday, the former chief executive acknowledged his legal liability for the acts of his subordinates as they conducted a campaign that led to the deaths of an estimated 12,000 to 30,000 Filipinos.
“This is not a case of semantics or vague responsibility – this is a direct admission from the former President himself. By publicly taking full responsibility for the thousands of extrajudicial killings that plagued our nation during his term, Duterte has admitted to a level of command responsibility that the law considers criminal,” pointed out Abante, who also chairs the House Committee on Human Rights.
Section 10 of RA 9851 establishes the principle of command responsibility, which holds superiors liable for crimes committed by their subordinates if they had knowledge of the crimes and failed to take necessary actions to prevent or repress them.
Abante further explained that the killings conducted in the bloody war on drugs meet all the elements of willful killing as a crime against humanity under Section 6 of RA 9851.
“First, it involved the willful killings affected thousands of civilians. Second, the victims were primarily civilians, suspected by police authorities to be involved in drug-related activities. Third, these killings occurred in a widespread, systematic attack across various cities, municipalities, and provinces throughout the Philippines. And fourth, these killings were executed under a State or organizational policy, namely, the anti-drug campaign of former the former president, which included a national system of rewards within the police hierarchy,” he said.
In light of this, Abante called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to utilize Duterte’s admission in its the ongoing investigation into the crimes committed under Duterte’s so-called anti-drug campaign.
“We have taken one step closer to holding Duterte accountable, but this is not the end. I urge our justice system to respond swiftly, to file charges, to conduct investigations, and to ensure that justice is served. The blood of thousands cries out for justice, and we owe it to every Filipino to answer that call,” said the lawmaker.
“Today, Duterte stands alone as the commander of this campaign of carnage. Let this be a warning to any leader who thinks they can wield power with impunity: the law will catch up with you, and justice will prevail.”
