Militant group backs Quad Comm’s recommendation to charge Duterte, et al.

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A CEBU-BASED militant group has called for the prosecution and arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte and his allies, accusing them of crimes against humanity during the previous administration's contentious "war on drugs."

Bayan Central Visayas expressed support for the Quad Comm’s recommendation to file charges against Duterte, along with Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, former police chiefs Oscar Albayalde and Debold Sinas, and other officials.

In a statement on Monday, December 23, the group alleged that the anti-drug campaign, which reportedly claimed 30,000 lives, disproportionately targeted poor communities.

They also cited congressional testimonies from police officers and witnesses as evidence of a reward system that incentivized extrajudicial killings of alleged drug offenders.

It also highlighted claims from retired police officer Arturo Lascañas, who previously testified that Duterte orchestrated the so-called Davao Death Squad and referred to him as the “drug lord of all drug lords.”

According to Bayan Central Visayas Chairperson Jaime Paglinawan, the investigation findings strengthen the case for Duterte and his associates to face trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"The results of the investigation and recommendation of the Quad Comm strengthens the basis for filing a case, prosecution, and imprisonment of former president Duterte along with his accomplices," he said.

Paglinawan emphasized that the Philippine government must cooperate with the ICC, citing a 2021 Supreme Court ruling affirming that the country remains obligated to participate in investigations initiated before its withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019.

The group criticized the lack of accountability for the drug war's widespread violence, stating that fairness and equality cannot exist in a society that tolerates impunity.

They also reiterated the need for justice for victims of extrajudicial killings, describing the campaign as a “war against the poor.”

Duterte has previously responded to the ICC’s investigation, expressing his willingness to cooperate. He said the ICC could "hurry up" its probe and even begin it immediately in the Philippines.

The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has indicated it will not block the ICC investigation if Duterte consents to it.

The ICC retains jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed while the Philippines was a member of the Rome Statute.

Earlier this year, the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber allowed the prosecutor to resume the investigation into potential crimes against humanity, including murder, between November 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019.(MyTVCebu)