Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.

— Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie



MAYPAJO, Caloocan City — Leaders of the Akbayan Citizens Action Party have warned former president Rodrigo ‘Rody’ Duterte (FPRRD) to prepare for the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants, following the international tribunal’s issuance of warrants against Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defense minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes in Gaza.

Akbayan lawmaker Percival ‘Perci’ Cendaña urged Duterte to ready his luggage: “Simulan nang mag-impake ni Duterte tutal naman siya na rin nagsabi na gusto niyang makapunta sa The Hague. We think that he should pack a huge suitcase—simulan na rin niyang tignan ang ICC detention facility bilang kanyang retirement home.”

If indeed Duterte is charged before the ICC on charges of crimes against humanity, then he would hold the distinction of being the first Asian leader to be convicted in the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to Bayan Muna chairperson and human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares.

Akbayan party-list first nominee Atty. Jose Manuel Tadeo ‘Chel’ Diokno noted that the ICC is tightening its grip on the world’s tyrants and mass murderers, saying that “if Netanyahu and Gallant are not immune, then neither is Duterte.”

Before this, the 79-year-old former president had surprised members of the House Quad Committee led by Surigao del Norte representative Robert Ace Barbers by declaring that he was willing to appear before the ICC: “I myself will go to the ICC. I will have myself investigated there.” He also urged lawmakers to “give (him) money” to buy a plane ticket to the court’s headquarters in The Hague.

Atty. Diokno pointed out that Duterte’s boastful challenges to the ICC could soon catch up with him: “Duterte’s dare for the ICC to arrest him may soon become reality. The issuance of warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant shows that pending cases, including his, are progressing. The world is watching, and we will not let his thousands of victims be forgotten.”

Reviewing the developments, Duterte’s accountability is inevitable. He may have eluded this here because that I because he has allies shielding him, but justice has a long arm and this has been proven by the ICC that no leader is too powerful to face the consequences of their crimes.

In September 2021, the ICC authorized an investigation into crimes against humanity under Duterte’s bloody drug war, covering November 2011 to March 2019. Despite the uncooperative stance of our government under President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., the Department of Justice (DoJ) has stated that it will not block the International Criminal Police Organization or Interpol from arresting ICC suspects under its agreement with the court.



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