MANILA - President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday highlighted the significant changes that the Philippine government has introduced in the campaign against illegal drugs under his administration which is a far cry the deadly war on drugs by his predecesor Rodrigo Duterte - who is now under investigation by the International Criminal Court.
In his meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Marcos acknowledged that the proliferation of illegal drugs in the Philippines remains a problem of the administration, however, the government's approach to drug dependents changed significantly.
“It’s a big problem, but our approach has changed significantly,” Marcos told Scholz after the latter inquired on his approach to illegal drugs in relation to the previous administration. “I diametrically opposed to handling the drug problem in that way, by confrontation, by violence and it really requires so much, more much deeper understanding on the problem and the much deeper solution. So, yes, I think that we are also progressing when it comes to that,” he said.
Marcos noted that part of the reforms is the reorganization of the Philippine National Police to flush out some of the police officers involved “in some of the more nefarious practices” that were undertaken during the previous Duterte administration.
“We are starting to move them out, and some of them have already been tried and convicted, now in jail and serving their time. It’s a difficult problem because it’s the money involved is so much that it’s hard for the government to compete with the kind of money that’s been thrown around by the drug lords,” he said, adding his administration has already lessened the problem of illegal drug operations.
Marcos took a three-day working visit to Germany where he met with Scholz in a bid to strengthen the bilateral ties between the Philippines and Germany. He was able to secure USD 4 billion investment deals during the visit.
On January 26, the ICC announced that it had granted the Prosecutor’s request to resume investigation into the “Situation of the Republic of the Philippines.” The ICC indicated that “following a careful analysis of the materials provided by the Philippines, the Chamber is not satisfied that the Philippines is undertaking relevant investigations that would warrant a deferral of the Court’s investigations”.
Having examined the submissions and materials of the Philippine government, and of the ICC Prosecutor, as well as the victims’ observations, the Chamber concluded that the various domestic initiatives and proceedings, assessed collectively, do not amount to tangible, concrete and progressive investigative steps in a way that would sufficiently mirror the Court’s investigation.
This conclusion of the ICC mirrors the earlier findings of Investigate Philippine Commission of Inquiry which found that domestic measures were effectively not functioning, and there was no evidence to support the Philippine government’s contention that victims could find justice in the Philippine courts. The judicial system itself was in fact being wielded as an instrument in the Philippine government’s campaign of state terror.
The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines headed by Peter Murphy welcomed the ICC decision. “We are extremely appreciative of the decision of the ICC. It offers a mechanism for victims to continue their pursuit of justice against the Duterte Regime’s brutal war on drugs, on dissent and on the Moro and all indigenous peoples. Justice will still be served despite the Marcos administration’s decision to keep the Philippines outside the jurisdiction of the ICC and cover-up the crimes against humanity committed by the police and the military under Duterte,” he said.
In November 2022, Justice Secretary Jesus Remulla reported to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review that over 17,000 cases of drug killings involving police officers had been reviewed, resulting in a small number of disciplinary actions.
But Murphy said there is no way that this level of inquiry - most unlikely to be genuine -amounts to an investigation of the crime against humanity of murder which the ICC was investigating.
“ICHRP has full confidence in the impartiality of the ICC. We urge the ICC to vigorously pursue the full investigation of the previous Duterte administration for these crimes against humanity so that, finally, justice may be served and impunity ended,” he said.
Murphy, an Australian-based human rights advocate, led Investigate PH, a three-part investigation by an international commission on the extrajudicial killings, illegal arrests, abductions and disappearances in the Philippines since July 1, 2016, when Duterte came into power. (Vera Files, ABS-CBN News, Mindanao Examiner)
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