Hometown supporters demand ex-president’s return
DAVAO CITY—Die-hard supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte here launched a unity walk at the Araw ng Dabaw celebration to call for his return from The Hague, the Netherlands, where he is awaiting trial for crimes against humanity.
The crowd swelled to 20,000, based on police estimates, when the organizers joined the contingents of Parada Dabawenyo. But only about 3,000 joined the rally at Rizal Park, where Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go and other officials criticized the Marcos administration for turning over Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“It was my father who buried your father (in Libingan ng mga Bayani). Now, you sent my father to jail,” the mayor said in Cebuano, addressing President Marcos. “We will stand up and we will fight back,” he added.
The mayor also told the crowd that he had been through a rollercoaster of emotions since his father’s arrest.
Most attendees wore black t-shirts and red armbands bearing the words “We stand with FPRRD” and “Bring him home.”
At least 415 contingents joined the Parada Dabawenyo, including children and students from different schools and members of participating organizations. Most of them left after the parade and did not join the rally.
Feeling betrayed
Duterte, who was arrested last week and brought to The Hague, is accused of killing thousands of suspected drug addicts and criminals during his term as Davao City mayor and president under his war on drugs.
In a prayer rally at Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila on Saturday, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said Duterte’s arrest by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) was the Marcos administration’s political maneuver.
“What reason did [President Marcos] use to allow President Duterte’s arrest? Interpol? That’s bullsh*t! … Don’t fool around with me about the commitment to Interpol!” Dela Rosa, Duterte’s former police chief, said.
The senator, who is seeking a second term, is a key figure in Duterte’s ICC case. He enforced the antidrug campaign as the police chief from 2016 to 2018.
Dela Rosa said he felt betrayed by Mr. Marcos who assured him on two occasions that the government was sticking to its position that it did not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction.
“Isn’t the duty of the government under our Constitution to serve and protect the Filipino people?” he asked.
Political circus
Meanwhile, administration lawmakers on Sunday called out Duterte’s allies for turning the ICC trial into a political circus.
In a statement, House of Representatives Assistant Majority Leader and Tingog Rep. Jude Acidre said the case in the ICC was about accountability for alleged crimes and not politics.
“This is not about political vendettas. This is about justice for the thousands who were killed in the name of a drug war that disregarded due process,” Acidre said.
He agreed with Ruben Carranza, senior associate at the International Center for Transitional Justice, who criticized Duterte’s camp for failing to present a clear legal strategy and using the ICC proceedings as a political battlefield.
“Mr. Carranza is right. This is not an election. This is not a propaganda war. It’s a trial for the thousands of Filipinos who were massacred for no reason and without due process,” Acidre said in Filipino.
He said the ICC has tried other political figures and is focused on legal and factual issues.
“The ICC is not easily swayed by political theatrics. They deal with politicized criminal cases all the time, yet they remain committed to the truth and the rule of law,” Acidre said.
Deputy Majority Leader and La Union Rep. Francisco Paolo Ortega V cautioned that the more Duterte’s allies attempt to shift the narrative, the more they expose their lack of a real legal defense.
“No amount of political grandstanding can erase the fact that thousands were killed during the drug war without due process. The ICC is not a political arena—it is a court of law. Let Duterte’s lawyers prove his innocence there,” Ortega said. —WITH A REPORT FROM JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE
