📷Bagong Alyansang Makabayan | FB
Justice Secretary Jesus Remulla made a belated recognition about the shortcomings of the justice system to justify turning over former President Rodrigo Duterte to the ICC. But he stopped short of admitting that this failure persists under the presidency of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
They did nothing in the past three years but continue the brutal legacy of the Duterte administration: Tokhang was simply rebranded as BIDA, drug-related killings remain, red-tagging is still the default practice among security forces, and the NTF-ELCAC continues to incite threats against anyone it brands as an “enemy of the state”.
Remulla was correct when he pointed out that the failure of the justice system forced the relatives of victims of extrajudicial killings to file a case with the International Criminal Court; but the same cowed or indifferent bureaucracy and uncooperative law enforcement authorities continue to prevent victims of human rights violations from accessing justice within the country.
The country’s justice has always been skewed for the rich and powerful. But state terror under the dictator Marcos, the tyrant Duterte and now Marcos Jr. has worsened with victims of EJKs with no recourse to justice and their advocates end up being persecuted themselves.
No less than Secretary Remulla repeatedly defended the country’s so-called “working” justice system at the United Nations. The DOJ under Remulla has dismissed the cases against police officers involved in the Bloody Sunday massacre of activists in Southern Tagalog.
No substantial reforms were undertaken by the Marcos Jr government that would allow human rights defenders and advocates to meaningfully pursue justice against state forces linked to extrajudicial killings and other grave human rights violations. Policies enabling abuse remain in place — notorious redtagging agencies like the NTF-ELCAC are entrenched in the bureaucracy, murderers in uniform are rewarded, while victims are demonized and ignored.
Duterte has to be made accountable for weaponizing the justice system for his criminal reign. But Marcos Jr shares the blame for continuing to use the same system in legitimizing repression in the country. #
