The Game of Power

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By Menelito Mansueto 

The other night, the house neighbors and supporters of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte volunteered to watch his house in Davao, acting as human shields from a possible raid. With a prayer vigil, they were there to prevent the intrusion by means of an alleged search warrant. No doubt, the Duterte family is being harassed by the Marcos administration. Starting with the attack of their close friends and allies, the impeachment of the Vice President, then the arrest of the President Duterte at the NAIA International Airport and ultimately, his extraordinary rendition. 

A crucial question needs to be asked: What is Bongbong Marcos's moral authority to put Rodrigo Duterte on trial? In the first place, it was the old Duterte who defended Marcos Sr. from the attacks of the liberal party. Defending Marcos, Sr. was kind of accidental as it resulted from the liberal party rallyists being fond of comparing Marcos Sr. to the old Duterte. Also, part of Duterte’s campaign promise was to allow the symbolic burial of the old Marcos, Sr. in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, which serves as the final resting place of the Philippines’ military personnel, hinting that it could serve as a symbol of unity and reconciliation of the nation. 

The Marcoses were thrown out of power in EDSA People Power as the result of the 20 years of authoritarian rule. Many anomalies linked to corruption and human rights violations were hurled against the first Marcos regime. The current administration of Bongbong Marcos is facing allegations concerning the unauthorized transfer of funds amounting to PHP 60 billion from PhilHealth to the National Treasury to finance other government programs. Included among those implicated in the issue is the president’s cousin, Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, who currently sits as House Speaker. 

President Duterte is accused of “crimes against humanity” for the so-called “extra-judicial killings” of 19 persons allegedly by the Davao Death Squad (DDS) and 24 others by the PNP law enforcement. How can we be so sure that these killings were not a result of the criminal syndicates’ internal cleansing and, in the course of protecting the names of interesting personalities that have served as mighty protectors of the drug trade? Is the alleged Davao Death Squad a real entity? Have they been identified just to confirm if they work for Duterte and are not a mere figment of the imagination?  Where are its headquarters? How will ICC prove its existence? 

Also, has the ICC ever showed concern with or merely reflective about the colonizers’ “crimes of humanity” committed during the colonizers’ occupation in the Philippines? In the course of global history, which continent or country has the most gruesome history of human rights violations? Is it not from the West? As if the ICC has not seen any other wars occurring somewhere else but the Philippines. They should not misunderstand the “war on drugs” as a literal war, as it is a mere slogan in the legitimate operations hoping to scare narcotic peddlers. Was the ICC even aware of the enormity of the drug problem in the Philippines? 

I read about a political science teacher is critical of Duterte but is ignorant of the implication of the ICC on our sovereignty. There are even more terrible wars with flying missiles occurring elsewhere that international courts should investigate,. The neoliberal order in the world can only bully Third World countries. Such is a critical question. Why can't the ICC serve the warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin or Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? This only proves that the ICC is the arm of a neoliberal global order that protects the interest of the West. 

Is the Philippines and its judiciary system unequipped to investigate the deaths of 19 persons allegedly murdered by a vigilante group, and 24 others killed from 2011 to 2016, in the conduct of raid by law enforcement? Defending the drug traders and drug personalities in the higher courts might send the wrong signal but a good impression to the drug cartels to resume their business. The current administration seemed to have been successful in its grand plan of demolition job against the Dutertes. VP Sara Duterte might just be that Phoenix rising from the ashes ahead of the elections in 2028.

- Menelito Mansueto is a Professor at MSU-IIT and author of Decolonial Turn in the Philippine South 

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