Don’t Believe Marcos: The ICC is Needed for Drug War Justice

Picture: House of Representatives of the Philippines on Facebook

In an article by New Mandala, Patrick Peralta and Michael Tiu, Jr. argue that the dismissal of the International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation into former President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs" is unfounded, as recent congressional hearings reveal that domestic institutions are inadequate for delivering justice to the victims, underscoring the necessity of the ICC's involvement.

Two years on since stepping down as president, Duterte still wields considerable political clout. As a leader who commanded sweeping control of Congress and whose term maintained unusually high public favour, he has cast one of the longest political shadows of any Philippine ex-president.

Duterte’s influence is perhaps felt no clearer than in the country’s current executives. His daughter, Sara, is the vice president, whose 2022 run with Marcos carried the coveted Bisaya vote and ultimately won three-fifths of the electorate. In the Philippines, the president and vice president are elected on separate tickets, but the Marcos–Duterte camps ran as a de facto alliance under the “Uniteam” campaign brand. But their partnership turned increasingly sour, as Sara’s power within it diminished in the two years since their inauguration.

aking after her father, she has bristled repeatedly against Marcos, fashioning herself as a victim of conspiracy and even as the “real” opposition. The president, at his political expense, has mostly remained above the fray, finding it either beneath his dignity, or beyond his abilities, to use the bully pulpit in retaliation. In this way, the Dutertes have both insisted and been allowed to remain the loudest voice in Philippine politics, despite no longer presiding at its helm. And should popular sentiment towards them stay warm, they are forecasted to return to the presidency in 2028.

The recent drug war hearings show that the ex-president still haunts Congress, too. In the Senate, Duterte’s allies fought successfully for him to deliver the first remarks, despite victims’ families already slated to do so. “If you look at the former president, he’s already so sleepy,” insisted Senator Bato Dela Rosa, who was the architect of the drug war as Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief under Duterte. “With all due respect, we know he’s old. For humanitarian consideration,” he said.