News Roundup 16 November 2023
Nov 16, 2023 • 4 min Read
House resolution supporting ICC probe of Duterte could be sent to committee soon — Castro | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives may soon start deliberating at the committee level a resolution in favor of the International Criminal Court’s investigation of the Duterte administration’s drug war, according to one of the Makabayan bloc lawmakers who authored the resolution.
Deputy Minority Leader Rep. France Castro (ACT Teachers) said that a “political leader close to (House Speaker Martin Romualdez)” told her and other Makabayan bloc lawmakers that the resolution may be discussed by a House panel “in the next few days and weeks.”
“(This resolution) is one of the measures that (the Makabayan bloc) extensively lobbies with the leadership. And we were told that there will be good news soon because it might be up for discussion in the next few days,” Castro said in Filipino in an interview with One News’ Storycon on Wednesday.
Philstar.comhas reached out to the Office of House Speaker Martin Romualdez for comment and will update this story with their response.
House Resolution 1393 — which calls on the Marcos administration to cooperate with the ICC in probing the alleged crimes against humanity committed during Duterte’s so-called war on drugs — has been read on first reading and referred to the committee on rules. But the rules committee has yet to refer it to the appropriate commitee that will conduct hearings about it.
Full Story at: House resolution supporting ICC probe of Duterte could be sent to committee soon — Castro | Philstar.com
Philippines still has an obligation to cooperate with the ICC — Carpio | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines still has an obligation to cooperate with the investigation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) into the drug war as the alleged crimes were committed before the country withdrew from the Rome Statute, retired Supreme Court (SC) Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said.
Carpio referenced the 2021 case of Pangilinan et al. vs. Cayetano et. al. where the SC dismissed the petitions to make the withdrawal of the Philippines from the ICC invalid.
“Let me just point out the decision of the Supreme Court on this, sabi ng Supreme Court, while the withdrawal of the Philippines from the Rome Statute and ICC took effect at a certain date, the Philippines has the obligation to comply, to cooperate with the ICC for acts committed before we withdrew,” Carpio said in a press conference on Wednesday.
“We have the obligation to cooperate because these are crimes which were allegedly committed before we withdrew. It is our obligation. I am just quoting the Supreme Court decision,” he added.
The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019 after ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda started her preliminary investigation on human rights violations during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
Full Story at: Philippines still has an obligation to cooperate with the ICC — Carpio | Philstar.com
Victim’s son eyed as ‘person of interest’ in Nueva Ecija bus shooting | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The son of the female victim in the bus shooting in Nueva Ecija is being eyed as a “person of interest” in the case, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The female victim and her live-in partner were shot dead by unidentified gunmen while in transit in the town of Carranglan on Wednesday afternoon.
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said the victims and the son were involved in a conflict that had gotten to a point where the female victim filed a carnapping case against her son.
The PNP official did not disclose the nature of the conflict or the identities of the son and the victims but confirmed that the latter were long-term live-in and business partners.
Full Story at: Victim’s son eyed as ‘person of interest’ in Nueva Ecija bus shooting | Inquirer News
New petition questioning secret funds filed in SC | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Another petition challenging the constitutionality of the controversial confidential funds was filed on Wednesday at the Supreme Court.
Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, lawyer Manuel “Chel” Diokno, and former Sen. Richard Gordon were among the petitioners who questioned the legality of the allocation, release, and disbursement of confidential funds.
They also asked the high court to order Vice President Sara Duterte, Congress, and the Commission on Audit (COA) to provide documents showing how the Office of the Vice President (OVP) spent its 2022 confidential funds.
Named respondents in the petition were Duterte; the Office of the Executive Secretary; the Senate and the House of Representatives; the Department of Education, Department of Budget and Management, and Department of the Interior and Local Government; the Governance Commission for Government-owned and -controlled corporations, and the COA.
Full Story at: New petition questioning secret funds filed in SC | Inquirer News
