House: ICC case vs. Duterte based on evidence, not gossip

International Criminal Court (Photo By Choinowski/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

By Jose Cielito Reganit, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – The House of Representatives on Monday firmly maintained that former president Rodrigo Duterte’s case before the International Criminal Court (ICC) is based on solid evidence and sworn testimonies of witnesses and not on mere gossip.

House spokesperson, lawyer Princess Abante, issued the statement in response to Vice President Sara Duterte’s comment that her father’s detention by the ICC was “dahil sa Marites (because of Marites)”—a colloquial term referring to rumors or baseless talk.

“Well, ‘yung statement ni VP ay base sa Marites. Ang kaso doon sa ICC ay ayon sa ebidensya. Siguro doon tayo tututok kung ano ‘yung pinagbabasehan ng mga reklamo. Hindi ito galing sa anumang tsismis, ito ay galing sa mga ebidensya at testimonies ng mga witnesses (according to the VP, it’s based on gossip. The case at the ICC is based on evidence. We should maybe focus on where the complaints are based. This did not come from any gossip, it came from evidence and the testimonies of the witnesses),” Abante said in a press conference.

She stressed that the ICC case is rooted in an international legal process supported by documentary evidence and victim testimonies, not hearsay or political noise.

She also made it clear that the House is not involved in the ICC proceedings and has consistently maintained its independence from the international court.

“In fact, time and time again, sinabi na rin naman ng mga members of the House na hindi sila nakialam at nakikialam sa kaso sa ICC (House members have always said that they did not and will not meddle in the ICC case),” she said when asked to respond to the younger Duterte’s call for the ICC to drop the case and let Filipinos decide the fate of the former president.

Abante also pointed out that as a lawyer, Duterte should understand how international judicial bodies operate, and that legal remedies, including motions to dismiss, must be raised in the appropriate forum.

“Wala din sa saklaw ng House of Representatives ‘yung hinihingi ni VP Sara (VP Sara’s request is not within the purview of the House,… they have their defense lawyer to assert that before the court,” she said.

Former president Duterte is currently detained and awaiting trial before the ICC for charges of crimes against humanity over his administration’s bloody war on drugs.

While the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019, the ICC retains jurisdiction over offenses committed while the country was still a state party.

Debunking VP’s ‘conspiracy theory’

Meanwhile, Zambales 1st District Rep. Jay Khonghun slammed the Vice President over her claims that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. faked kindness and colluded with the ICC to arrest her father, calling it “baseless, dishonest and deeply irresponsible.”

In a statement, Khonghun said President Marcos has consistently kept a firm distance from the ICC in connection with the case against the former president.

He said the Vice President’s “conspiracy theory” was not only absurd but a dangerous attempt to mislead the public and stir unrest.

“President Bongbong Marcos is not hiding behind kindness. He leads with calm, principle and respect for the rule of law. Hindi siya tulad ng mga lider na kailangang sumigaw, manakot at magsinungaling para mapansin (He is not like other leaders who need to shout, threaten and tell lies to get noticed).”

Khonghun said the Vice President’s remarks betray a fundamental misunderstanding or a willful distortion of how a constitutional democracy works.

“Hindi lahat ng galaw ng gobyerno ay kontrolado ng Pangulo (Not all actions of the government are controlled by the President). We are no longer under a regime where one man can order arrests left and right. President Marcos governs with restraint and humility, not with vendetta,” he said.

During a rally calling for the release of her father, Duterte accused President Marcos of giving the ICC what it wanted by supposedly helping facilitate the former president’s arrest, saying this was all political theater to remove a strong critic.

Khonghun called this logic twisted and insulting.

“Tsismis ba ang libo-libong patayan? Tsismis ba ang luha ng mga nanay na naulila? Tsismis ba ang mga ulat ng international and local human rights groups (Were the thousands of killings, the tears of the bereaved mothers and the reports from international and local human rights groups just mere gossip)?” he asked.

“You call this gossip, we call it justice. Kung talagang walang kasalanan, harapin. Hindi ‘yung puro drama at siraan ang ginagawa (If you are truly innocent, face the charges, instead of going into theatrics and vilification).”