My Two Cents on FPRRDs Crime Against Humanity Case at the ICC: Is Reality Now Setting In?
As I see things from that unsettling March 11, the realities are now dawning on former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s family and political camp following his detention at the International Criminal Court due to his bloody illegal drugs war.
Duterte was arrested on March 11, upon his return to the country after a short trip to Hong Kong to which he made the remark, “If I’m arrested, if I’m detained, so be it,” as he addressed Filipino supporters at Southorn Stadium in Wan Chai district on March 9. Thus, at exactly 11:03 pm, Manila time of the same day, the private plane onboard the ex-president flew to The Hague, with former executive secretary Atty. Salvador Medialdea and daughter Veronica “Kitty” Duterte, as his escorts together with some members of the Philippine National Police and International Police Organization.
Undeniably, no pro-DU30 allies accepted the arrest calmly. There were allegations of conspiracy, cover up, and state kidnapping. And from the state kidnapping allegation of Vice President Sarah Duterte in an ambush interview at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, to realizations?
Four days after the arrest, the VP claimed she doesn’t harbor any ill feelings towards anyone, including that of National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano, who also served as former Interior and Local Government chief to the “Punisher”.
“Honestly, I don’t feel anything at all. I’m not angry, I’m not disappointed. Nothing at all — because it’s pointless to harbor any feelings about what happened. It can’t be undone. President Duterte can no longer be brought back to the Philippines,” the Vice President said. She likewise added,
“So what we should do as a country is move on from what happened. The question is, what will we do moving forward as a nation and as a people? Whether we get angry or not, our anger will lead us nowhere,” she said.
And as week two of the detention, the VP is on a different tune, while the Congress discovered more food names without birth certificate records on the used of the Office of the Vice President’s intelligence fund receipts to add to the likes of previous record like Mary Grace Piattos, Chippy McDonald, Fernando Tempura, and Carlos Oishi. Recently, there were Jay Kamote and Miggy Mango while other invoice bore names with a series of “Dodong” recipients such as Dodong Alcala, Dodong Bina, Dodong Bunal, Dodong Darong, and Dodong S. Barok.
On the other hand, Malacanang maintains its stand that there was no political hand in the arrest of the former president, noting the ICCs investigation came way ahead of Marcos Jr becoming a president. President Bongbong stressed the Punisher’s anti drug drive was initiated during his incumbency as mayor of Davao in 2016. He likewise clarified that Malacanang only honored its commitment to Interpol. But while the national government maintained that it will continue the anti-drug war minus the killings, the VP is now using the European crowd associating the fate of the late national hero, former senator Benigno Aquino Sr. to what she claimed could also be the fate of DU30, to be assassinated.
On Monday, March 24, fake news surrounding the return of Duterte to the country on March 26, following the decision of ICC President Judge Tomoko Akane to dismiss Duterte’s crime against humanity made rounds in various social media platforms.
My two cents, the inconsistencies on the statements that one with the “I don't harbor ill feelings to the assassination threat on the life of Duterte, obviously, there’s an attempt to once more hype the situation, as if agitation is needed from the pro-DU30 supporters, to put further pressure to the government to act for the release of the ex-president. Why? Because everything went out of hand.
