HUSTISYA WALANG HANGGANAN: When Sovereignty Becomes a Shield for Impunity
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Hindi nakakatawa. Hindi rin ito simpleng political drama.
This is what happens when justice gets locked out of its own house.
Paulit-ulit nating naririnig ang sigaw:
“𝐈𝐂𝐂 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐭𝐲!”
Pero ang tanong:
𝐍𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐠𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐤𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚?
Because let’s be brutally honest.
Hindi basta-basta sumugod sa ICC ang mga pamilya ng EJK victims.
They didn’t wake up one day and say, “Let’s go international.”
They went there because 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨.
Sa Pilipinas, for years, the cases barely moved.
Complaints stalled.
Witnesses were terrified.
Investigations crawled.
Habang ang libu-libong bangkay ay nakahandusay sa kalsada, ang hustisya naman ay nakahandusay sa filing cabinet.
And that is exactly why the ICC exists.
Hindi ito first option.
Ito ang huling hantungan kapag pumalya ang sariling sistema.
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The Truth They Don’t Want You to Remember
Fact check muna.
The Philippines 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐂𝐂 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟏 when it ratified the Rome Statute.
Hindi tayo pinilit.
Hindi tayo ginipit.
Hindi tayo sinakop.
𝐖𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟏𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟗, when the withdrawal became effective.
At dahil member tayo noon, the 𝐈𝐂𝐂 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟏 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟗 - kabilang ang drug war killings.
Hindi ito foreign interference.
Ito ay enforcement ng treaty na tayo mismo ang sumang-ayon.
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Why Duterte, Go, and Bato Ended Up There
Ito ang pinakaimportanteng punto na pilit binubura sa narrative:
The ICC case didn’t exist because of politics.
It existed because 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬.
Under international law, the ICC only acts 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞.
At iyon ang masakit na katotohanan.
Domestic accountability mechanisms were widely seen as ineffective - which is precisely why the ICC investigation moved forward.
Kaya napunta sa ICC ang kaso ni Duterte - kasama ang mga alleged co-perpetrators like Bong Go and Bato dela Rosa - dahil:
Hindi umusad ang hustisya sa loob ng bansa.
Hindi dahil sa foreign interference.
Kundi dahil sa kawalan ng accountability.
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The Sovereignty Argument - A Convenient Illusion
Kaya kapag sinasabi ng PDP na ito ay “panghihimasok,”
they are flipping the narrative.
Hindi ICC ang sumira sa soberanya.
𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚 𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐚.
Because sovereignty does NOT mean:
the power to kill without consequence
the power to silence victims
the power to block justice forever
𝐒𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲.
Responsibility to protect citizens.
Responsibility to investigate crimes.
Responsibility to prosecute wrongdoing.
Kapag nabigo ang hustisya sa loob ng bansa,
hindi ICC ang dapat sisihin.
Ang gobyernong nagbulag-bulagan.
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The Brutal Irony
They shout “national dignity” today -
yet thousands died without dignity yesterday.
They shout “independence” now -
yet victims’ families had to seek justice abroad because they had none at home.
At ito ang pinakamatinding reality check:
The ICC is not proof that the Philippines lost sovereignty.
It is proof that some leaders abused it.
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Final Words
Kapag ang soberanya ay ginamit bilang panangga sa krimen -
hindi na iyon kalayaan.
It becomes a hiding place.
Because in the end, one truth stands taller than any political slogan:
𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲.
Hindi hadlang ang bandila sa katotohanan.
At kapag isinara ang korte sa loob ng bansa,
ang mundo mismo ang magiging hukom.
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SOURCES: - The Manila Times: PDP: Go, ‘Bato’ indictment illegal (Feb 16, 2026)
- Inquirer: Dela Rosa, Go, Aguirre, 5 others bared as Duterte ‘co-perpetrators’ (Feb
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs: The ICC Investigation and Accountability in the Philippines (Jan 28, 2022)
- International Criminal Court: ICC welcomes the Philippines as a new State Party (Nov 8, 2011)
- Coalition for the International Criminal Court: The Philippines’ membership in the ICC comes to an end (March 15, 2019)
- Human Rights Watch: Philippines: ICC Hearing to Confirm Duterte Charges (Feb 16, 2026)
- International Criminal Court: Situation in the Philippines: Rodrigo Roa Duterte in ICC custody (March 12, 1025)
- UP Institute of International Legal Studies: Frequently asked questions on the arrest, surrender and proceedings involving President Duterte at the International Criminal Court
- Human Rights Watch: International Criminal Court’s Philippines Investigation (Feb 13, 2023)
- Human Rights Watch: ICC Authorizes Resumed Philippines Investigation (Jan 27, 2023)
- Just Security: The ICC Has Jurisdiction Over Rodrigo Duterte’s Drug War Crimes (Aug 7, 2025)
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