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After creating a task force, Justice Secretary Remulla now confirms that they’re specifically probing Duterte
In the middle of the probes into extrajudicial killings and war on drugs, the Marcos-led Department of Justice (DOJ) disclosed that it is now also investigating former president Rodrigo Duterte.
None other than DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla confirmed that they are now investigating the former president, a former ally of the incumbent chief executive.
“Yes…. Our task force is doing that pa. Kakakausap ko lang kanina ‘yong head ng task force (Yes, our task force is doing that now. I was just talking to the head of the task force),” Remulla told reporters on November 18.
“International humanitarian law ang ating pinupuntirya ngayon (is what we are looking at) because it is the law that the ICC is studying, as well as the law that we have here. It’s the law of the ICC actually. It’s what they’re using right now,” he added.
Before this confirmation, the DOJ formed this month a special task force that is supposed to focus on the drug war and extrajudicial killings under Duterte, and then build and file cases later.
The Marcos government’s newest task force has a specific mandate to also “closely coordinate and assist” in the probe into the alleged crimes committed under Duterte. But impressive as it may sound, there are reservations about the new task force as past investigating bodies created under previous administrations were all unsuccessful.
At present, both the Senate and the House of Representatives are probing into the alleged crimes under Duterte. Although the two chambers belong to the same legislative branch, there’s a wide disparity in they way they are investigating Duterte.
The Senate appears to be Duterte’s safe haven as interrogating senators are either his allies or lawmakers treating him with kid gloves. In fact, Duterte and his allies successfully “hijacked” the last Senate hearing on the drug war, giving the former president practically a free platform.
In contrast, the House’s quad committee was more stern towards Duterte, as evidenced by the fiery remarks from lawmakers when the former president appeared in the hearing on November 13. The mega-panel chairpersons also had low tolerance for Duterte’s cursing, among others. The lower house was hard-pressed to prove that they were notches higher than the upper chamber.
Apart from handling Duterte well, the House was able to extract key testimonies from the quad committee — former cop Royina Garma’s confirmation of the Davao Death Squad, how Duterte started his drug war, and the reward system in the anti-drug campaign.
Remulla’s confirmation that they are now looking at Duterte’s alleged crimes gives a clear indication of where the Marcos administration wants the probes to go. The newly-formed task force, it seems, won’t be just another bureaucratic body, but a real functioning team complementing the legislative probes.
The ultimate measures of how effective these task forces and probes will be is whether or not the former president will be held accountable and whether actual local cases will be filed against him. With no suits, these acts by the Marcos government will be all for show, and nothing else. – Rappler.com
