Families of the Philippines Fallen are being asked to elect as President one of the alleged mass murderers. Photo Credit: Frame capture from Vimeo Movie published by The RINJ Foundation.
“Widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population,” is how Judges of the International Criminal Court describe the mass murder crimes they want investigated in the Philippines.
Specifically, the court is interested in the perpetrators of “killings committed throughout the Philippines between 1 July 2016 and 16 March 2019 [from the time of Duterte’s commencement in office as President until the time Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC] in the context of the so-called ‘war on drugs’ campaign, as well as with respect to the killings in the Davao area between 1 November 2011 and 30 June 2016.”
Signatories:
Judge Péter Kovács, Presiding Judge
Judge Reine Alapini-Gansou
Judge María del Socorro Flores Liera
Note: The Philippines Commission on Human Rights estimates that more than 27,000 have died in the “drug war,” but the number grows daily as killings extend from Manila to other urban areas.
What brings FPM.news back to this story is that the alleged executioner in the alleged Duterte murders now wants to be President of the Philippines and is now officially a candidate. Nominations closed on 8 October.
Also, the support for Duterte and his murderous regime from the nicknamed “Five Eyes” FVEY community of Anglophone nations has prompted anger among Filipinos in Canada (FPM.news home) and the Philippines who have slammed the publisher in emails demanding “balanced coverage”.
“How can Canada be sending ships and money to a government that slaughters its people“, wrote one human rights defender from Mindanao.
By 3 December, 2016, Ronald Dela Rosa had a 97 percent kill ratio for his benefactor who is sponsoring him as a presidential candidate.
“Eyewitness testimony and other evidence amassed by Reuters suggest officers are summarily gunning down suspects in President Duterte’s crackdown,” wrote Clare Baldwin, Andrew R.C. Marshall and Damir Sagolj for Reuters on 5 December 2016.
Toronto, 13 October, 2022—by Melissa Hemingway and Micheal John with files from Behar Abbasi who has been interviewing Filipino ex-patriots who have fled the violence in the Philippines.
“Human rights violations in the Philippines are all about a despotic dictator and a festering corruption of everything governmental. It’s about murdering critical journalists, imprisoning women who speak out and killing, killing, killing,” wrote Geraldine Frisque when she posted an emotionally charged video on Vimeo about the “Fallen in the Philippines“.
“In the Philippines one might think that the dirty dozen or more under investigation by the International Criminal Court would stay clear of presidential elections in 2022 for fear of attracting attention and pushing the urgency of the ICC investigation,” suggested Simon Baldock, an Israeli security analyst.
“How did Dela Rosa’s men achieve these crimes? They removed the bodies and sent them to the hospital thus destroying the crime scene,” says an informant who has written on the RINJ HelpLine since 2016.
“Often these matters drag on but in this case, because it is alleged Duterte has continued to murder or persecute using the machinery of the state his enemies, including journalists like Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Ressa, the matter needs to be accelerated,” he said.
“Having learned that Rodrigo Duterte has decided not to run with Ferdinand Marcos as a vice presidential candidate on the Marcos ticket, he instead has advanced Ronald Dela Rosa, Duterte’s ‘enforcer’ since the Davao City Mayoralty days as referred in the decision of the International Criminal Court to investigate the matter.
“In accordance with Article 15(4) of the Statute, the Chamber found that there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation, noting that specific legal element of the crime against humanity of murder under Article 7(1)(a) of the Statute has been met with respect to the killings committed throughout the Philippines between 1 July 2016 and 16 March 2019 in the context of the so-called ‘war on drugs’ campaign, as well as with respect to the killings in the Davao area between 1 November 2011 and 30 June 2016. The Chamber emphasised that, based on the facts as they emerge at the present stage and subject to proper investigation and further analysis, the so-called ‘war on drugs’ campaign cannot be seen as a legitimate law enforcement operation, and the killings neither as legitimate nor as mere excesses in an otherwise legitimate operation. Rather, the available material indicates, to the required standard, that a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population took place pursuant to or in furtherance of a State policy, within the meaning of Article 7(1) and (2)(a) of the Statute.” Citing ICC Situation in the Philippines
Annual violent deaths increased from 10,710 to 20,580 per year during the Duterte Administration according to statistics from coroners and mortuaries canvassed in May, June and July of 2019 by The RINJ Foundation.
“Medical researchers studying morbid outbreaks are continually polling a range of resources to learn how people die and what if any trends are present. In the Philippines, an aggregate of many chronic degenerative diseases of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems account for most deaths. A large but dwindling due to COVID-19 upper-age group may help explain that. There are some other unique phenomena taking place and dozens of universities are interested. Many seek a quantum on the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Notwithstanding all that, it should suffice to say there is plenty of global interest in the public health of the Philippines, especially as that applies to the spate of excess deaths during the Duterte era [removing the already high number of excess deaths in the Philippines due to murders, the highest in the ASEAN region] which are likely extrajudicial killings reaching over 35,000 by January 2020.” Citing updated quote from Fred Harris, biostatistician, in Singapore.
According to the International Criminal Court:
“These extrajudicial killings, perpetrated across the Philippines, appear to have been committed pursuant to an official State policy of the Philippine government. Police and other government officials planned, ordered, and sometimes directly perpetrated extrajudicial killings. They paid police officers and vigilantes bounties for extrajudicial killings. State officials at the highest levels of government also spoke publicly and repeatedly in support of extrajudicial killings, and created a culture of impunity for those who committed them.”
“The same types of actors also allegedly committed strikingly similar crimes in the city and region of Davao (“Davao”), starting in 1988 and continuing through 2016. Given the similarities between those killings and the nationwide WoD killings from July 2016 to March 2019, and the overlap of individuals involved during both periods, the Prosecution requests that the 2011-2016 events in Davao be included within the requested investigation.” Citing: International Criminal Court-Philippines-CR2021_05381
Persons named and accused specifically in Extra Judicial Killing allegations against the Duterte regime include official Philippines presidency candidate, Ronald Dela Rosa.
- Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte
- Former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre
- Former Philippines Police Director General Ronald Dela Rosa
- House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez
- Former Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno
- Police Superintendent Edilberto Leonardo
- Senior Police Officer Sanson “Sonny” Buenaventura
- Police Superintendent Royina Garma
- National Bureau of Investigation Director Dante Gierran
- Solicitor General Jose Calida
- Sen. Richard Gordon
- Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano
and more.
According to ICC officials, this is the contact data and mailing address to which witnesses and other persons may send evidence or complaints to the International Criminal Court.
International Criminal Court
Philippines Situation
Oude Waalsdorperweg 10
2597 AK, The Hague
The Netherlands
Tel. + 31 (0)70 515 8515
Fax +31 (0)70 515 8555
National Baseline Study on Violence Against Children in the Philippines Results