Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte purposely withdrew the Philippines from the Interntional Criminal Court (ICC) in 2019 because they had already begin investigating his administration for crimes against humanity at the time.
He withdrew with the explicit goal to make sure his country would not and could not extradite him to the ICC in case they found sufficient evidence to convict him.
Now, Filipino lawmakers are discussing whether or not the Philippines should rejoin the ICC, seeing as though the only reason it left in the first place was to protect one old man’s ass from the jail cell he so richly deserved after his death squads killed close to 30,000 men, women and children without trial.[1]
Despite being strong, vibrant and powerful at an overseas political rally for his supporters in Hong Kong just a day prior to his arrest in Manila, Duterte went into “pitiful sick old man mode” the very second he got arrested. It’s pretty pathetic and reminds me of the moment when serial rapist Harvey Weinstein showed up for court with a walker:
The moment a powerful man is called to account and answer for his crimes, he immediately feels his age. He doesn’t feel it when the hand of the law isn’t in him yet, when Lady Justice doesn’t breathe down his neck… but the very instant he is faced with the consequences of his action, he folds. They all do. Well, not all — Saddam Hussein at least had the bravery to laugh when he received his death sentence and Hermann Goering told judges to “kiss his ass” in German.
The Philippines does not belong to ICC anymore, but may soon rejoin. Interpol requested they arrest Rodrigo Duterte, so they did. And the fact that Duterte and his family are political rivals to the ruling Marcos dynasty doesn’t hurt, either. Duterte turns 80 this month. I doubt he’ll ever see the light of day again. In the Philippines he could buy justice, in The Hague he will find that all the money and connection in the world won’t help him.
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