Marcos pushed for witness statements on EJK and drug war rewards to be submitted to the ICC

MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. should provide the International Criminal Court (ICC) with copies of the affidavits of retired police chief Royina Garma and self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa detailing cases of drug-related extrajudicial killings . said a human rights lawyer.

In a statement on Saturday, October 12, Neri Colmenares said the ICC is “in the best position” to prosecute former President Rodrigo Duterte and his subordinates over the bloody war on drugs that has been proven to have resulted in the deaths of around 30,000 Filipinos , to prosecute human rights groups.

Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief in the Duterte administration, was one of those named in the ICC investigation.

“He should hand over the testimonies of Garma and Espinosa to the ICC to ensure the prosecution of Duterte and Dela Rosa,” Colmenares said.

What did Garma and Espinosa say?

On October 11, the Quadcom House of Representatives held its eighth hearing on the EJKs committed during the Duterte administration.

During the session, two experts, notably Garma and Espinosa, identified individuals involved in the former president’s nationwide drug war.

Espinosa implicated Duterte and Dela Rosa, known as the architect of Oplan Tokhang.

He said it was Dela Rosa who threatened him to link Senator Leila De Lima and businessman Peter Lim to the illegal drug trade by confessing to the public that he himself was a drug trafficker.

When Colmenares learned of this, he called on the Justice Department to file charges against Dela Rosa for “serious coercion” or “serious threats” against Espinosa.

Dela Rosa has repeatedly rejected Espinosa’s testimony and claimed that the Justice Department handled the illegal drug case against De Lima. He even went so far as to threaten to hit Espinosa at the next meeting.

“Such an attitude is not only a violation of the independence of legislative investigations, but also shows his penchant for using violence when he disagrees.” Just like his boss Duterte,” Colmenares said.

Asked if Espinosa believes Duterte ordered the assassination of his father Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, in 2016, Espinosa confirmed this.

“We saw on TV that the former president said he would kill everyone on the drug list. As I understand it, he actually ordered the assassination of my father,” Espinosa said in Filipino.

RELATED: Kerwin Espinosa: Bato Dela Rosa forced me to confess and implicated De Lima in drug trafficking

Meanwhile, Garma also mentioned Duterte and Go, who served as his executive assistant and personal advisor.

She confessed to lawmakers that the former president called her in May 2016 and asked for her help in implementing nationwide the “Davao Model,” the reward system that compensates police officers for every drug suspect killed.

According to Garma, the financing and implementation of the Davao model was led by former National Police Commission (Napolcom) Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo.

In her affidavit, she said Leonardo kept Go informed and provided updates on summary reports of those killed and the names of people added to the drug list. It was also about the alleged reimbursement of operating costs for people who were killed.

The cash rewards, she explained, could range from as little as P20,000 to as much as P1 million, based on a “bracket system” that categorizes people involved in the illegal drug trade, such as drug traffickers, drug dealers and chemists.

RELATED: Royina Garma: Duterte asked me for help with a nationwide drug war reward system

What do the lawmakers say?

During the hearing, Rep. Raoul Manuel (Kabataan Partyist) noted Garma’s uncompromising demeanor as she struggled to give a clear yes or no answer to the question of whether innocent people had died in the drug war.

“Even now it seems like there is no remorse at all. The victims’ families are right in front of her, but she still doesn’t want to admit it,” Manuel said in Filipino.

Manuel asked Colmenares whether Garma was among the people being investigated by the ICC. Colmenares replied that this could be the case since the ICC’s preliminary investigation includes regional, provincial and municipal police units.

Duterte appointed Garma as Cebu City police chief in 2018. She previously served as a PNP official in Davao City.

“They may also be held accountable before the ICC for command responsibility, a crime committed under command responsibility, for their failure or refusal to investigate killings.” [that occurred] while on watch during police operations,” Colmenares said.

If that is the case, Manuel said Garma should be held accountable for the killings during the drug war.

For the new lawmakers, Rep. Jefferson Khonghun (Zambales, 1st District) and Rep. Paolo Ortega V (La Union, 1st District), Garma’s statement is just “the tip of the iceberg.”

“This statement is certainly very credible, especially when other witnesses, including documentary evidence, corroborate everything Garma has said publicly,” Khonghun said in a statement.

Ortega added that the Joint Committee’s investigation into drug-related EJKs has not yet determined the veracity of the allegations made by Garma and Espinosa.

The House committee invited Leonardo’s subordinates, whom Garma named in her affidavit, who helped implement the money-for-kill scheme.

Lawmakers also invited the inmate who claimed Espinosa’s father begged for his life before he was shot by former police chief Inspector Leo Laraga, as well as Laraga himself.