By Gabriel Kim Leal
(March 16, 2025) – Were the victims of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal war on drugs given due process before they were killed?
This was the question raised by chief presidential legal counsel Juan Ponce Enrile as debates continue over the legality of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest of Duterte due to alleged crimes against humanity.
Enrile, a veteran lawmaker, stressed that due process applies to everyone—even for suspected criminals.
“The Bill of Rights says, ‘No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the law,'” said Enrile.
He added that it also provides that “no person shall be held to answer for a criminal offense without due process of law” and that “in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall be presumed innocent until the contrary is proved.”
Enrile questioned whether these legal protections were extended to those targeted by Duterte’s merciless war on drugs, which killed around 30,000 individuals, including innocent children, according to human rights groups.
“Were the victims of ‘(Oplan) Tokhang’ and the ‘drug war’ accorded ‘due process of law?’ Were they presumed innocent before they were summarily killed or killed with impunity?” asked Enrile.
On Tuesday, the day of Duterte’s arrest, Enrile distanced the government from the former president’s case in the ICC, saying the country has “nothing to do with his current legal problem.”
The ICC set Duterte’s confirmation of charges on September 23 to decide if the case would proceed to trial.
(PM)
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