Dictator 'admission' could work against Duterte, Hontiveros says

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte may have made the job of a prosecutor of the International Criminal Court easier after he admitted being a “dictator,” Sen. Risa Hontiveros said on Monday, as another opposition lawmaker labeled the government’s “systematic killing” of drug users a “crime against humanity” that deserves the tribunal's attention.

Hontiveros said that by saying that he is a dictator, the ICC would now refer to his public admission and his other “documented undemocratic practices” as proof of his “utter disregard” for democracy and human rights.

“By admitting that he is a dictator, voluntarily and without pressure from anyone, President Duterte just made the ICC's job simpler,” she said. Hontiveros said that Duterte is the best witness against himself through his words and deeds which, she said, exposed him to the charge of crimes against him.

“A fish is caught by its mouth and a foul man by his deeds. President Duterte is the best witness against himself,” she said. “I am confident that the ICC has documented all of these.”

At a meeting with 200 former Maoist rebels last week, Duterte addressed criticism of his leadership style. “Yes, it is true. I am a dictator. I have to be a dictator for the good of the country,” the president said.

Duterte is known for his colorful language. His spokesmen and subordinates sometimes walk back or clarify his off-the-cuff remarks about a day after he says them.

Last week, an ICC prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, announced that she had opened an initial examination on allegations of extrajudicial killings attending Duterte’s brutal war against illegal drugs.

The examination, which would be an assessment of available information to see if there was basis to pursue a probe under the Rome Statute, stemmed from the communication filed by Filipino lawyer Jude Sabio last year accusing Duterte of being a mass murderer after his drug war left a bloody and deadly trail in its wake.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Rep. Gary Alejano (Magdalo) later on filed a supplemental communication to buttress the pleading of Sabio.

Alejano, meanwhile, said that Duterte’s systematic killing of his people in his war against narcotics deserved the attention of the ICC.

“Duterte being the president is considered as the father and leader of the Filipino people. Those who fell victims to illegal drugs primarily due to poverty and lack of opportunities need his support, care, and intervention as a father. They received death and terror instead while being soft on drug lords and suppliers from other countries,” Alejano said in a statement.

The opposition congressman said that Duterte changed the definition of human rights when he became president in 2016 and accused him of bloating the number of drug users and dependents in the Philippines to justify his war on drugs.

He also slammed Duterte for claiming that the brains of drug users shrank, which made them unable to reason despite studies that stated otherwise. 

Hontiveros also urged the government to recognize and afford request to the ICC process as the Philippines was a party to the Rome Statute. 

“We have an obligation to subject our public policies and even our leaders to scrutiny, in the same way that we may hold accountable the actions of other nation-states,” she said.

Related video: