FORMER Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Archbishop Socrates Villegas yesterday supported calls for the Philippine government to allow the entry of the International Criminal Court (ICC) into the country to probe the bloody war on drugs of the previous administration.
In a statement, the Lingayen-Dagupan archbishop said it is imperative for the Marcos administration to allow the ICC probers to come to the Philippines if they are interested in the truth and in holding accountable persons responsible for the unsolved killings.
“Insofar as this process seeks to ferret out the truth and, possibly, to hold accountable those who, in an arrogant abuse of power, may have caused others, even possibly innocent people, loss of life in violation of guarantees enshrined in the Philippine Constitution as well as in human rights treaties, to which the Philippines is a party, a thorough inquiry by persons without vested interests or prior alliances should be welcome,” said Villegas.
“Truth has never destroyed a nation. It is falsehood that has been the undoing of many peoples,” he added.
The prelate rejected the government’s reason of independence and sovereignty in refusing to cooperate with the ICC probe.
He also disagreed with the government that allowing international investigators may indicate that the Philippines does not have a functioning judicial system.
“Our sense of nationhood cannot be so fragile that it cannot allow the entry of persons clothed with international authority to make a determination for themselves that our agencies of law enforcement and prosecution are willing and able to prosecute and to try persons responsible for what can only be characterized as truly heinous assaults on human life,” Villegas said.
“If we have faith in ourselves and in our institutions, then we should not hesitate about allowing officials of the International Criminal Tribunal to see for themselves that we are able to bring the culpable before the Bar of justice,” he added.
Villegas issued the statement after the Makabayan bloc filed House Resolution 1393, which calls on all lawmakers to jointly urge Marcos to allow the ICC probe to push through.
This comes after no less than former president Rodrigo Duterte admitted to ordering extrajudicial killings and financing them with his confidential and intelligence funds during his term both as president and mayor of Davao City.
Last July, the ICC green lighted the conduct of an investigation by its prosecutors into Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs” during his term.
In response, Marcos then said the government will not cooperate “in any way, shape, or form” with the ICC probe.