MANILA – The taskforce created by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to probe the bloody war on drugs of the previous administration are looking at the statements of former President Rodrigo Duterte during the House of Representatives’ Quad Committee hearings.
According to Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, the taskforce are determining if Duterte’s admission as a possible violation of international humanitarian law (IHL).
Remulla added that Duterte is among those being investigated for possible liability under Republic Act (RA) 9851 or an “Act Defining and Penalizing Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and other Crimes Against Humanity”.
“IHL, International Humanitarian Law ang ating pinupuntirya ngayon. It is the law that the ICC (International Criminal Court) is studying as well as the law that we have here. It’s the law of the ICC, actually. So, it’s RA 9851,” Remulla said.
RA 9851 carries a penalty of up to reclusion perpetua or 40 years and a fine of up to P1 million.
Remulla further said the probe on Duterte will include the entirety of what had been covered in the House Quad Com, saying the country may still try the case even outside the ICC jurisdiction.
“Even if we are not members of the ICC, the spirit of complementarity is still in place,” Remulla said. “Lahat ng pwede sakupin. S’yempre, you are talking about several laws that will come into play.”
“The DOJ task force investigation is making very good progress. We just cannot give you a day-to-day blow-by-blow account but we are evaluating everything,” he added./PN
