📷ICC assistant to Counsel Kristina Conti
What is supposed to be an effort of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to rid Davao City of traces of extrajudicial killings proved otherwise as a lawyer representing families of slain victims tagged newly-installed Col. Lito Patay as an EJK enabler.
In an interview which appeared in ‘Storycon’ on One News, ICC assistant to Counsel Kristina Conti expressed doubt if the new Davao City’s police chief would be able to serve an arrest warrant to his former boss Rodrigo Duterte.
“The development that Lito Patay – one of the implementers, one of the worst recorded violators during the war on drugs – is now Davao City police chief… is concerning to us,” Conti in her capacity as legal representatives of the families of EJK victims, was quoted during the “Storycon” interview.
“I don’t know how it would work in the context of a possible warrant of arrest against his former principal, Rodrigo Duterte, and even Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa,” added Conti in reference to the incumbent senator who served as Duterte’s chief implementer of the bloody war against drugs.
According to the ICC lawyer, Patay is a member of the so-called “Davao Boys,” a group of policemen from the former president’s hometown who were brought to Metro Manila to supposedly take part in the implementation of the drug war.
In an investigative piece fed by Reuters, Patay was identified as the commander of the Batasan Police Station which recorded the highest number of killings at the onset of Duterte’s drug war.
A month before Duterte stepped down from power, Col. Patay was cleared of his administrative liabilities over the death of a minor during a police operation in Payatas, Quezon City in 2016.
Conti, in her capacity as legal representative of the victims’ kin in the ICC case, said they will study their next steps, even as she admitted that Patay’s designation is something they should carefully ponder.
When sought to elaborate, Conti admitted they have slim chances of filing a complaint since Patay’s appointment as Davao City police is a simple assignment and not a promotion, where they could resort to legal action.
While Patay’s name isn’t on the ICC list, she still finds it rather weird that PNP chief Gen. Rommel Marbil would designate an EJK enabler to a city where EJK emanated.
Meanwhile, Conti said there are rumors of the ICC scouting for more witnesses who can identify who among the accused are most responsible.
“The ICC is looking at official, mid-level. I don’t know…. if top level. It may reach up to Albayalde,” Conti said, referring to former police chief Oscar Albayalde.
Conti said the new witnesses being asked by the ICC should be those who actually received the instruction from the principal accused in the implementation of Duterte’s bloody war on drugs.
When asked whether or not Patay is fit as state witness, Conti said: “At this point, not yet. Yes, any of the alleged perpetrators can become witnesses. ICC called insider witnesses. They can be the one to say how exactly the instruction was conducted. If no one admits, nothing will be known.”
In a related development, families of slain EJK victims expressed hope that the ICC warrant would be served soon to those who are deemed as the “most responsible.”
Admittedly though, Conti expressed apprehension whether ICC would merit the Marcos administration’s cooperation to be able to serve the arrest warrants against “former President Rodrigo Duterte et. al.”
Marcos recently maintained that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines.
