Pangilinan: ‘A bit troubling’ that it took ICC ‘over 4 years of daily killings’

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Francis Pangilinan on Tuesday said it was “a bit troubling” that it took the International Criminal Court (ICC) “over 4 [four] years of daily killings” under the Duterte administration’s drug war to find “reasonable basis to believe” that crimes against humanity were committed in the brutal anti-illegal drugs campaign.

“It doesn’t come as a surprise,” Pangilinan said in a statement, referring to the latest findings of the ICC Office of the Prosecutor.

“It is a bit troubling though that it took them over 4 years of daily killings to find ‘reasonable basis’. Perhaps if they acted sooner, thousands of lives could have been saved,” he added.

In her report released Monday, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda noted that in addition to drug-related killings, some individuals were allegedly subjected to serious ill-treatment and abuses prior to being killed by state actors and unidentified assailants, after being arrested or abducted, and while being held in custody before their deaths.

READ: ICC finds ‘reasonable basis’ to believe crimes against humanity committed in Duterte’s drug war

She also cited reports which showed that in some incidents, members of law enforcement raped women who were apparently targeted because of their personal relationships to individuals allegedly involved in the drug trade.

The ICC prosecutor said her office will be deciding whether to seek authorization to open an investigation into the situation in the country in the first half of 2021.

An ‘understatement’

Senator Risa Hontiveros, meanwhile, expressed support for the ICC prosecutor’s latest findings on the brutal drug war.

“Reasonable basis is the understatement of the last 4 years. Still, I strongly hope the recent findings of the International Criminal Court (ICC) finally bring justice to the victims of this administration’s brutal war on drugs,” Hontiveros said in a separate statement.

The ICC’s recent report offers “new hope for justice and humanity, as we continue to commemorate all those felled by bloody ‘tokhang’,” according to the senator.

This, as she pointed to the death of 17-year-old Kian De Los Santos whose killing “ignited national outrage from various sectors.”

“Let us not forget that our innocent youth, like Kian, are helpless victims of this administration’s disproportionate response to what is actually a public health concern,” Hontiveros said.

“ICC’s statement that they hope to open an investigation in the first half of 2021 is a welcome development for anyone fighting against human rights abuses in the Philippines. Exacting accountability for these extrajudicial killings has been a long time coming,” she added.