MANILA – A lengthy speech without substance.
This was Llore Pasco’s reaction to the opening statement of Rodrigo Duterte’s defense counsel Nicholas Kaufman on the first day of confirmation of charges hearing on February 23.
The prosecution, the common legal representatives of the victims, and Duterte’s legal team were given the opportunity to read their opening statements and lay down the foundations of their argument over the course of hearing.
Duterte’s statements have been presented as evidence on both sides. But more than that, Pasco opined that it became clear that the poorest of the poor comprised the majority of victims of the brutal anti-illegal drug campaign.
“All he could say was to deny Duterte’s crimes but he failed to present any evidence to defend his boss,” Pasco said in Filipino. “Kaufman’s praises for his boss have nothing to do with Duterte’s implementation of a bloody war on drugs.”
Pasco’s sons Crisanto Antonio and Juan Karlos were found dead in Arboretum, Quezon City. Crisanto was supposed to get his security license for his job on May 11, 2017. A day after, Pasco and her other children found out about the death of Crisanto and Juan in a television newscast.
Human rights alliance Karapatan said that Duterte’s defense team has been filing motion after motion, calling it a deliberate plan to delay and derail the confirmation of charges and the trial itself.
Prior to the confirmation of charges, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I denied the motion of Duterte’s legal counsel to disqualify Filipino lawyers Joel Butuyan, Gilbert Andres, and Nicole Arcaina. The chamber also denied Duterte’s motion to disclose the personal information of some prosecution witnesses. Karapatan said that this could endanger their lives and security.
For years, the victims, survivors, and their families have been facing political vilification. They became the most vulnerable targets of the disinformation campaigns amid the ongoing ICC case of Duterte.
“The media and human rights groups did not invent stories about how our loved ones were killed. Yes, our narrative is sacred and unchallengeable because it is the unshakable truth,” Sheerah Escudero said in a statement.
For the victims’ family members like Escudero, Kaufman’s denial of thousands of victims were baseless.
Her brother Ephraim went missing on September 19, 2017. On the third day of his disappearance, his body was found in a province more than 100 kilometers from where they lived, with head covered in a packaging tape and his arms and feet tied.
Read: Kin of ‘drug war’ victims ready for Duterte ICC hearing
As the defense counsel’s statements were condemned by family and the rights groups alike, Rise Up for Life and for Rights said that the prosecution and the common legal representatives of the victims were prepared.
“The prosecution as well as the victim’s lawyers were able to demonstrate how Duterte’s policy victimized the poor and why such a policy led to the commission of murder and attempted murder, which constitute crimes against humanity,” Rise Up national coordinator Rubilyn Litao said.
ICC’s ongoing hearing is important as the Philippine justice system makes it hard for victims and survivors to fight back against a state-enforced policy.
In a separate Bulatlat report, Mary Ann Domingo, whose husband and son were killed on official police operations in 2017, secured court conviction of the four low-ranking police officers responsible for the death of her loved ones.
However, she acknowledged that justice is not yet served since the perpetrators appealed the decision. The case has been ongoing for almost a decade.
Read: ‘Last recourse’ | Victims, prosecution expose impunity on confirmation of charges hearing
‘Last recourse’ | Victims, prosecution expose impunity on confirmation of charges hearing
**“**Domestic remedies for justice and reparation to victims and their families are still difficult to access and Duterte’s co-perpetrators remain in power,” Duterte Panagutin Campaign Network said in a statement.
Moreover, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, and Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Elago filed House Resolution No. 809, urging the Philippine government to rejoin the ICC, on the same day of the confirmation of charges hearing.
“ICC serves as a court of last resort, activated only when domestic mechanisms are unable or unwilling to genuinely investigate and prosecute, making it a vital recourse for victims when national justice systems fall short or are compromised,” the resolution read. (DAA)
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