Hontiveros welcomes possible PH-ICC talks on drug war
Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Friday said Justice chief Jesus Crispin Remulla’s openness to talk with probers of the International Court (ICC) regarding the previous administration’s bloody war on drugs is a silver lining for all victims of extrajudicial killings.
In a statement, Hontiveros said Remulla’s willingness gives “hope that real justice for the thousands of victims” could finally come.
“If ever there will be discussions between our government and the ICC, I hope the government will see that it needs to help in the investigation, not only because of our treaty obligations but especially for the families of Kian delos Santos, Carl Angelo Arnaiz, Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman, and other families who have been crying for justice for a long time,” Hontiveros said in Filipino.
Earlier, Remulla said in an interview with Reuters the Philippines would be willing to talk to the ICC “in a very well-defined manner, in the spirit of comity.”
Without giving details, Remulla said there were certain areas that the Philippine government and the ICC could cooperate with, but he also emphasized that “lines have to be drawn properly.”
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. previously made it clear that his administration “will not lift a finger to help any investigation that the ICC conducts” regarding former president Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal campaign against drugs.
