By Renato Reyes, Jr. / President, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan
If the reports of an Interpol red notice are true, then the Marcos regime must ensure that the arrest warrant is served. The Filipino people are demanding justice for thousands of human rights violations committed during the bloody “war on drugs” that targeted poor people while shielding suspected drug lords.
If Duterte evades arrest despite an issuance of an arrest warrant by the ICC, there will be no one to blame but the Marcos administration.
1. Duterte was able to leave the country for Hong Kong since he has no hold departure order. After almost 3 years in power, the Marcos regime has not filed a case in court against the former president.
2. Marcos’ flip-flopping on the issue of the ICC puts to question the Philippine government’s commitment to accountability. Marcos earlier said his government will not cooperate with the ICC but after the heightened contradictions between Marcos and Duterte, Marcos said his government will cooperate if the warrant is coursed through Interpol.
3. Marcos could also have pushed for the Philippines to rejoin the ICC and to become an active part in the investigation but he did not.
We call on the Filipino people to stand ready and remain vigilant should the political crisis escalate. The people must make known their demand for justice and rejection of any shady or unprincipled compromises with the camp of the former president.
We call on the Marcos government to do its job of ensuring accountability for other cases not filed or not within the scope of the ICC. The House QuadComm already provided its initial committee report that can form the basis of domestic cases being filed that are not included in the ICC proceedings. #
