📷Former Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares
Former Bayan Muna Congressman and human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Department of Justice to turn over Col. Royina Garma’s and Kerwin Espinosa’s sworn statements to the ICC to ensure that former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Bato De la Rosa will be charged in the International Criminal Court (ICC)
Colmenares, also a co-counsel in the ICC to some of the victims of Duterte administration’s drug war, stressed the importance of accountability and highlighted the urgent need to address allegations of extra-judicial killings during Duterte’s administration.
“The testimonies point to a systemic pattern of human rights violations that cannot be ignored,” Colmenares stated. “President Marcos Jr. must act decisively to demonstrate that his administration does not enable impunity by protecting those responsible for these heinous crimes. He should turn over the Garma and Espinosa testimonies to the ICC to ensure the prosecution of Duterte and Dela Rosa. The ICC has been investigating the EJKs since 2017 and is in the best position to go to trial against Duterte and his subordinates,” he said
“The DOJ should file charges of grave coercion or grave threats against dela Rosa using Espinosa’s testimony. Which the Court will surely find more believable than de la Rosa’s general denial. De la Rosa must also be warned for threatening to punch a witness appearing in Congress. This kind of attitude is not only a violation of the independence of legislative inquiries but also shows his penchant to use violence when he disagrees with another. Just like his boss Duterte,” said the former Bayan Muna congressman.
Colmenares also demanded an investigation and potential charges against Gen. Edilberto Leonardo, who recently resigned as a commissioner of the National Police Commission. He called for the Bureau of Immigration to issue a lookout order against Leonardo to prevent any attempts to flee the country.
“We also call on the QUAD committee to ensure the attendance of all those mentioned by Garma to ferret the truth. The families saw some hope due to the investigation being conducted by the QUAD Committee. We hope the Chairpersons of the Committee will pursue the search for justice to the bitter end,” Colmenares said.
Victims’ families have expressed their frustration, stating that “the law and government are not for us because Marcos Jr. is allowing impunity and injustice to prevail. It is good that their struggle and perseverance in demanding justice for their loved ones are seeing some light on these cases”.
Bayan Muna has a long-standing track record of advocating for human rights and compliance with international humanitarian law, consistently pushing for justice and accountability for all victims of state-sponsored violence. Colmenares helped draft the ICC Complaint after the victims families consulted human rights lawyers.
“We reiterate our call for President Marcos Jr. to uphold justice and ensure that those who have committed crimes against humanity face the full force of the law,” Colmenares concluded.#
