News Roundup 29 July 2024
Jul 29, 2024 • 5 min Read
De Lima urges House panel to present drug war probe findings to ICC | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — While the House human rights committee chairperson remains closed to submitting the findings of the drug war inquiry he is leading to the International Criminal Court, for one lawmaker and a former senator, the answer is already clear.
Former senator Leila de Lima and Rep. Dan Fernandez (Laguna) on Monday appeared to see eye-to-eye when the lawmaker suggested that the ICC be informed of any new information that surfaced during the House human rights committee’s ongoing drug war probe.
However, Rep. Bienvenido Abante (Manila, 6th District), chair of the human rights committee, was quick to interject that Fernandez’s statement was a “personal” one.
On Monday, De Lima appeared as a resource speaker for the House committee’s fifth hearing into the extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
The drug war probe is the first of its kind in the House, De Lima pointed out, recalling that the lower chamber did not launch a counterpart inquiry when she opened an investigation on Duterte’s drug war in 2016 as it was “busy on the Bilibid drug trade and my personal life.”
However, for De Lima, the findings of the committee should eventually translate to a criminal case filed against the perpetrators of the drug war.
“We can’t blame the ICC if they are continuing with their investigation because they can’t see [a local investigation] involving higher-level officials, including the president,” De Lima said.
“For this investigation, yes, we are hopeful that we can find evidence and highlight what happened. But if it just remains in the committee without being translated to criminal proceedings, this will not stop the ICC investigation,” the former senator added.
Fernandez concurred with De Lima and said the outcome of the committee investigation can be used in “filing [cases] in different courts” and “can be used also as an evidence in the ICC.”
Full Story at: De Lima urges House panel to present drug war probe findings to ICC | Philstar.com
Roque admits ties to firm that owns raided Benguet house with alleged POGO workers | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque denied that he owns the raided property in Tuba, Benguet where two alleged Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) were apprehended by authorities—but confirmed that a company he has interests in owns it.
Roque appeared in the Senate to air his side of the story. Over the weekend, two undocumented foreigners, believed to be POGO workers, were arrested at the house that was believed to belong to Roque.
“Ang bahay po na tinutukoy niyo sa Tuba, Benguet ay rehistrado po sa isang korporasyon. Tinirhan ko po ‘yan noong ako ay umalis ng gobyerno and I do have an interest in the corporation that owns it. Pero wala po sa akin ang possession ng bahay na ‘yan, dahil as of January of 2024, ‘yan po ay pinaupahan ng korporasyon,” Roque said.
(The house being referred to in Tuba, Benguet, is registered under a corporation. I lived there when I left the government and I do have an interest in the corporation that owns it. But that house is not in my possession because as of January 2024, that belongs to a corporation.)
However, Roque admitted that he plans to buy the said company.
Full Story at: Roque admits ties to firm that owns raided Benguet house with alleged POGO workers | Philstar.com
US, Japan, Australia, India air ‘serious concern’ on South China Sea row | INQUIRER.NET – The foreign ministers of the United States, Japan, Australia and India on Monday expressed “serious concern” over the situation in the South China Sea in a veiled rebuke to Beijing.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts in the so-called Quad grouping issued a joint statement calling for a “free and open” Pacific after talks in Tokyo.
The statement did not name China directly but referenced a series of recent confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the disputed South China Sea.
“We are seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion,” the communique said.
“We continue to express our serious concern about the militarization of disputed features, and coercive and intimidating maneuvers in the South China Sea,” it added.
The group also condemned North Korea’s “destabilizing” missile launches.
Full Story at: US, Japan, Australia, India air ‘serious concern’ on South China Sea row | INQUIRER.net
De Lima insists Duterte instigated killings in his drug war | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte should be held accountable fo instigating the killings in his drug war, former Sen. Leila de Lima insisted on Monday.
In her opening statement at the hearing of the House Committee on Human Rights on alleged drug war atrocities, de Lima said the killings were “systematic” — and were implemented starting when Duterte was still Davao City mayor, even before being elected as president in 2016.
“There is no doubt in my mind that former President Rodrigo Duterte is the mastermind, as he was the instigator and inducer of the drug war killings. The drug war was implemented as an official Duterte program of government when he assumed office as President. This is undeniable since ‘Oplan Double Barrel’ is a well-documented official PNP Operation Plan,” de Lima said.
“These killings constitute a systematic attack on civilians and [are] considered as a crime against humanity under international humanitarian law. For his crimes against humanity both as Davao City mayor and Philippine president, Duterte should be prosecuted and convicted by the International Criminal Court and spend the remainder of his life in prison,” she added.
Full Story at: De Lima insists Duterte instigated killings in his drug war (inquirer.net)
