KAMUNING, Quezon City — While former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte (FPRRD) celebrated his 80th birthday at the Scheveningen Prison in the Netherlands, the Bisaya Gyud (BG) party-list dusclosed they have taken steps to seek justice in the former chief executive's case filed before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague.

At the press conference held at the Kamuning Bakery in Quezon City, Bisaya Gyud party-list first nominee Greco Antonious Beda Belgica with former Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) deputy director General Carlos Quita announced that they had already sent letters to the presidents of the United States, Russia and China and the prime minister of Israel as well to ask their governments to intervene in behalf of Duterte.

Belgica explained that, "these (leaders) rejected the jurisdiction of the ICC in their (respective) countries."
He added that the ICC was created for countries without a court, which is not the case in the Philippines.

"Our justice here is slow, but we have (that) and (we) are used in handling cases of high-profile personalities," Belgica said.

At the same time, the Bisaya Gyud party-list also launched online and offline signature initiatives to gather support from Filipinos inside and outside the country.

Belgica, who was former chairman of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), and retired Gen. Carlos Quita led the signing of the 'Manifesto of Sovereignity, Justice, and Freedom' that embodies the public declaration of their movement, which they said would distribute hard copies for signing to different barangays in the country.

The partylist also launched another signature campaign, the 'Defend the Constitution, Sovereignty, and Freedom! Bring Duterte Home!', which us expected to gather a million online signatures and names from supporters and non-supporters who both believe that justice should be served to Duterte.

"I think these (campaigns) bring the political situation in the Philippines to a different level," Belgico stated in ending his appeal for justice to be afforded to the beleaguered former president.