2-7-2024 (MANILA) Former President Rodrigo Duterte has ridiculed former Senator Leila de Lima’s intentions to pursue legal action against individuals involved in her controversial drug cases, which she claims were fabricated. Duterte’s remarks have reignited tensions and raised concerns about the potential for further escalation in this long-standing feud.
De Lima, who was recently acquitted from all drug-related charges after a seven-year legal battle, had expressed her determination to sue officials from the Duterte administration for her prolonged detention. However, Duterte dismissed her plans, advising her to “find peace” instead of instigating a confrontation.
“Don’t pick a fight because you will regret it. What are you seeking justice for?” Duterte told reporters in Tacloban City, adopting a mocking tone. “I’m a lawyer, if the court hands a ruling, we respect it.”
Despite his dismissive remarks, Duterte acknowledged the court’s ruling and claimed it as proof that democracy is functioning effectively in the Philippines. “There’s a verdict rendered by the court, and we have to respect it; democracy is working well in our country,” he stated.
However, Duterte’s conciliatory tone was short-lived as he shifted his focus to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is investigating alleged human rights abuses during his controversial war on drugs. With characteristic bravado, the former president reiterated his defiant stance, declaring, “I don’t give a sh*t whether they come in. For me, they have no jurisdiction. We are not part of ICC. We have left.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has previously rejected De Lima’s call for the government to cooperate with the ICC’s investigation but has allowed her to pursue individual cooperation if she desires.
Undeterred by the potential consequences, Duterte issued a chilling threat, stating that if the ICC were to issue an arrest warrant against him, he would demand that they personally deliver it. “I will wait. I don’t want our local law enforcers to hand the arrest warrant. I want it to be someone from ICC so that I can feed it to him. He has to eat it or I will shoot him. I will deliver him to hell,” he said, underscoring his utter disregard for the international body’s authority.
The ICC’s investigation into the alleged human rights abuses during Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, which rights groups claim has claimed thousands of lives, has been a contentious issue for years. Duterte’s latest outburst serves as a stark reminder of the deep divisions and intense emotions surrounding this controversial chapter in the country’s history.
