Former President Rodrigo Duterte may have accidentally revealed that the ‘nanlaban’ (fought back) explanation for drug war deaths wasn’t true, according to a lawyer representing complainants in the International Criminal Court (ICC) case against Duterte.
During a Senate hearing, Duterte admitted he told police officers to make it look like drug suspects had resisted arrest so they could be killed legally during police operations. Attorney Neri Colmenares, representing the complainants, believes Duterte’s statements have strengthened the case at the ICC, which is investigating him for alleged human rights abuses during the war on drugs.
Colmenares explained, “Duterte exposed that the ‘nanlaban’ story wasn’t real. Without realizing it, he admitted it in the Senate, which could be used as evidence against him.”
If the ICC moves quickly, Colmenares thinks a warrant could be issued for Duterte’s arrest by the end of the year. If so, Duterte would be the first Asian leader to face trial at the ICC. This case stems from thousands of alleged extrajudicial killings under his administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.
Duterte said he takes “full legal responsibility” for his actions but still refuses to apologize for the campaign, which, according to police records, resulted in about 6,000 deaths, though human rights groups estimate that number could be as high as 30,000, including vigilante killings.
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV also stated that transcripts of Duterte’s statements are now in the hands of the ICC for use in their investigation.
In response, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero confirmed that no formal communication from the ICC has been received yet.
The House of Representatives and the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee are now also being called to investigate Duterte’s use of confidential and intelligence funds during his term, as over 4.5 billion pesos were allocated for these activities, and there is growing demand to understand how these funds were spent.
