Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ensured the full responsibility of the “drug war” of his administration, while he is preparing to make his first appearance before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In a video message published yesterday on his Facebook account, the 79 -year -old man addressed his “compatriots” and said once again that he had no regrets for the policies he exercised as president.
“What has happened in the past, I will be the front of our police and the military. I have already said that I will protect you and that I will be responsible for everything, ”explains Duterte in the video, according to the translation of Reuters. From this morning, the video had been seen more than 18 million times.
“It will be a long legal proceedings, but I tell you, I will continue to serve my country. And too bad, if it’s my destiny, “he added.
The video seems to have been shot on board the Gulfstream Jet which stole Duterte in The Hague on Tuesday evening. A few hours earlier, Duterte was arrested by the Philippine police acting on an arrest warrant issued by the ICC on March 7.
The former leader faces “accusations of murder as a crime against humanity” for acts committed between November 1, 2011 and March 16, 2019. Estimates of the number killed during the anti-narcotic campaign range from 12,000 to 30,000.
Duterte was officially immersed on Wednesday in the CPI custody and will make its first appearance before the court today, the first stage of what could be a legal process of several years.
Duterte’s admission of responsibility is in accordance with the previous statements he made concerning the “war against drugs”, which he undertook to lead on the track of the presidential campaign in 2016. In a speech in January of the same year, he said: “My God, I hate drugs. And I have to kill people because I hate drugs. “He swore to bring peace and order to the country” even if it would cost me my life, my honor and even my freedom “.
Duterte continued to defend politics since his departure from the office in 2022. Bearing an hearing of the senatorial committee in October, Duterte said that he had “no excuse, no excuse” for his anti-drug measures. “I have noticed you all as president, then and as a private citizen now,” he said. “The drugs will destroy the Philippin, this will destroy my country and I will not allow it.”
Given his long history of provocative admissions and defenses, it would be difficult for Duterte to claim innocence. It is still early, but it seems that Duterte’s legal approach will be to challenge his jurisdiction, while using the Philippine courts to challenge the legality of his arrest and transfer to The Hague. At the same time, he will look at his character as a patriot without an excuse who sacrificed his freedom in order to clean the Philippines of drug evil.
In addition to this martyrdom performance, his supporters are expected to launch a streetformation campaign and street political theater against the Marcos administration and in support of pro-Dudert candidates in the Senate who present themselves in Senate posts in the mid-term elections on May 12. Agencies.
Whatever the form is needed, the arrest of Duterte is about to intensify internal political tensions while the Philippines are preparing for what promises to be a pivot election.