Lawmakers renew call for ICC probe after Duterte's admission of funding Davao killings

MANILA, Philippines — Makabayan bloc lawmakers have called on the Marcos administration to support the International Criminal Court’s probe into the so-called war on drugs after former President Rodrigo Duterte publicly admitted to bankrolling the killing sprees in Davao City.

House Resolution 1393, a joint resolution filed by the three-member bloc, urges the lower chamber to collectively urge the president to clear the way for the ICC to investigate Duterte in connection to the alleged extrajudicial killings carried out when he was president and, earlier, Davao City mayor.

“With former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s televised admission of ordering extrajudicial killings and financing them with his confidential and intelligence funds, it is imperative that we allow the ICC to investigate his crimes,” said Rep. France Castro (ACT Teachers).

“We urge the House leadership to support and co-author this resolution to show that we do not tolerate EJKs (extra-judicial killings) and that we are working for justice to be served to his victims, and their families,” Castro added.

Duterte last week said in his show on SMNI Network that he used the intelligence funds allocated to Davao City to "have (them) killed,” referring to extrajudicial killings carried out by the infamous Davao Death Squad.

Former senator Antonio Trillanes said on Tuesday that a copy of the video has been sent to the ICC as additional evidence. The YouTube video with the interview is no longer available on SMNI’s channel.

Duterte’s statement was delivered during his tirade about the House of Representatives’ decision to reallocate the confidential funds sought by his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, to agencies focused on the defense of the West Philippine Sea.

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"This admission by Duterte himself serves as strong evidence against him and should prompt the Marcos Jr. administration to allow ICC to investigate the matter under the principle of complementarity," Rep. Arlene Brosas (Gabriela Women’s Party) said.

Brosas added that there was no “genuine recourse against the killings in Davao City while he was mayor.”

The principle of