MAJORITY of Filipinos said the International Criminal Court (ICC) should investigate the alleged drug-related killing during the Duterte administration and that the Marcos government should allow the international body to do the probe, the December survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) released yesterday showed.
The survey, which involved 1,200 adult respondents nationwide with a margin of error of ±2.8 percent, showed that 53 percent (25 percent strongly approved, 28 percent somewhat approved) said the ICC should investigate the drug-related killings while 21 percent (10 percent strongly disapproved, 11 percent somewhat disapproved) disagreed.
This is higher than the 45 percent (20 percent strongly approved, 25 percent somewhat approved) that said the ICC should investigate the drug-related killings in March 2023, and lower than the 24 percent (10 percent strongly disapproved, 14 percent somewhat disapproved) that disapproved.
This also resulted in a net approval rating of +33 (percent of approval minus percent of disapproval) which is higher than the +21 in March.
SWS also found that 57 percent (26 percent strongly approved, 31 percent somewhat approved) said the government should allow the ICC to investigate the drug-related killings while 19 percent (10 percent strongly disapproved, 9 percent somewhat disapproved) disagreed.
This is higher than the 48 percent (26 percent strongly approved, 31 percent somewhat approved) that said the government should allow ICC to investigate, and statistically unchanged from 20 percent (9 percent strongly disapproved, 11 percent somewhat disapproved) that disapproved in March.
SWS also found that close to three out of 10 people or 29 percent trust that the ICC would be able to conduct an impartial investigation, up from 22 percent in March, while 16 percent (down from 22 percent) have little trust in the ICC.
This resulted in a net-trust rating (percent of trust minus percent of mistrust) of +12, up from +1.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte maintained that the ICC has no jurisdiction over him and believes that there can be “no warrants of arrest of sorts” issued against him since the international body has no jurisdiction over him or the country.
He said that he’d shoot the representatives of the ICC if they insisted on serving a warrant for his arrest.
SOCIAL ACTION ARM
The social action arm of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday renewed its call for the Philippine government to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its ongoing investigation into the drug war and other alleged human rights violations during the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
In a statement, Caritas Philippines called for the full cooperation of the national government, instead of serving as an obstruction to the ICC’s bid to hold Duterte and his allies accountable.
“We urge the government, the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Philippine military to welcome the ICC and extend their full cooperation,” said Caritas Philippines President Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo.
This was seconded by Caritas Philippines Executive Director Fr. Antonio Labiao, who said even Duterte and his family shouldn’t be against the ICC’s actions.
“If the Dutertes are truly confident of their innocence, they should have nothing to fear from the ICC. Why obstruct an investigation that seeks the truth?” said Labiao.
In adhering to the ICC, the Caritas officials said the government should see it as a manifestation of the country’s commitment to justice and accountability.
“This is not a sign of weakness, but a demonstration of our commitment to the rule of law and the Filipino people’s right to the truth,” said Bagaforo.
“This is not just about the past. It’s about shaping a future, where justice prevails and human dignity is valued,” said Labiao. — With Gerard Naval
