THE detention and subsequent deportation of former President Rodrigo Duterte to The Hague to face trial before an international Kangaroo Court that is the International Criminal Court (ICC) is among the events last week that competed for global headlines over what is happening in more important places such as the Middle East and Ukraine.
Over here, much has been said about the “triumph” of the rule of law and of “international cooperation” to ensure that justice, no matter how delayed, is achieved, especially for the “victims” of Pres. Duterte’s ‘War on Drugs’ during his term.
However, if this government approved narrative” is gaining traction here, it is not the case in the broader, global community, which sees Pres. Duterte’s arrest for what it is actually: a “political project” driven by domestic political considerations.
As they see it too, the swift manner by which our own government acted left a bitter taste in the mouth.
In his report on March 11, Jonathan Head, BBC Southeast Asia correspondent said President Duterte’s arrest was a “big moment and a rather surprising one” as no one expects the Marcos administration “to move so swiftly and ruthlessly” in implementing the ICC warrant.
In short, President Duterte’s delivery to the ICC by our own government is about political expediency. It is about trying to get rid of a pesky and politically dangerous “enemy” with the 2028 elections slowly creeping in amidst increasing social discontent.
The ICC too has made a big issue of its finally taking custody of the former president on the belief that this would somehow restore its credibility before the world.
After all, US President Donald Trump’s sanctions against the ICC and his accusation that it is nothing but a corrupt political institution continue to hurt its image everywhere.
To be clear. The ICC is not a part of the United Nations (UN) System. However, the ‘2002 Rome Statute’ gave it a ‘semi-official’ status as a world body. It is similar to the ‘Permanent Court of Arbitration’ (PCA), another non-UN, international non-government organization (NGO), whose 2016 non-binding “award” our authorities want to believe as the ‘Gospel Truth’ in our territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea.
Both organizations are “creatures” of Western Imperialism and the Global Elite, their “political weapons” they love to carry and wield against independent-minded world leaders and Third World governments seeking to veer away from their ‘Rules-Based International Order’ such as those in Africa and the Philippines under President Duterte.
Given this, we predict the ICC to “make an example” of President Duterte, if only to live up to what its role is– to target and punished “undesirable” world leaders.
His conviction would also be the ICC’s counter defense over criticisms that in the case of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted for war crimes and genocide in Gaza and President Vladimir Putin, wanted for the alleged deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, the ICC has shown itself to be wholly ineffective and “toothless.”
If we are being made to believe that President Duterte would get a “fair trial,” better to disabuse our minds this early.
Far from serving the ends of justice or upholding the rule of law, his trial is about the “confluence” of politics—global and domestic—on how best to use President Duterte’s case to serve their respective interests.