Manila, Nov 13 (EFE).- Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to expedite its investigation into alleged crimes during his brutal war on drugs, asserting his readiness to face imprisonment if found guilty.
“I am asking the ICC to hurry up and if possible, they can come here and start the investigation tomorrow,” Duterte, 79, said defiantly, according to the Filipino network ABS-CBN.
“The issue has been left hanging for so many years. I might die before they investigate me,” said the former president in his statement during a committee session of the Philippine Congress.
Duterte withdrewi the Philippines from the ICC in 2019 when he was the president to prevent investigators from entering the country and to avoid prosecution over alleged abuses in police operations.
Around 6,000 people died in police-led anti-drug operations, according to official figures, though local NGOs claim the actual death toll exceeds 30,000.
Duterte reiterated his responsibility for the drug war, as he did in a Senate inquiry last month. “If I am found guilty, I will go to prison and rot there for all time,” he said, urging the ICC to investigate him on Philippine soil.
Former senator Leila de Lima, who was detained for nearly seven years on drug charges she claims were fabricated under Duterte’s administration, was present during the session. De Lima was acquitted in 2023.
Duterte previously conducted a local anti-drug campaign as mayor of Davao (2013-2016) before launching a nationwide crackdown upon becoming president in 2016, vowing to eliminate drug trafficking.
However, human rights groups allege that police and vigilante groups executed suspected drug traffickers, users, and even unrelated people during the campaign.
Few Philippine officials have been prosecuted for abuses linked to the drug war. In June, four police officers were sentenced to 10 years for the 2016 murder of a man and his son, while three others received sentences in 2018 for killing a 17-year-old boy.
The ICC launched its investigation in 2021, linking government authorities and security forces to alleged extrajudicial killings in the drug war.
Duterte’s administration refused to cooperate, and current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has shown little intention to support the ICC’s probe. EFE
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