Philippines signals softer stance on ICC drug war probe, open to cooperate

January 23, 2025 , 05:01 PM

Reuters

(January 23, 2025) – The Philippines has signaled a softened stance towards an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into thousands of killings in a “war on drugs,” a probe activists hope will see popular ex-president Rodrigo Duterte face charges of crimes against humanity.

The “war on drugs” was the signature campaign policy that swept Duterte to power in 2016 as a maverick, crime-busting mayor, who delivered on promises he made during vitriolic speeches to kill thousands of narcotics dealers.

The firebrand Duterte unilaterally withdrew the Philippines from the ICC’s founding treaty in 2019 when it started looking into allegations of systematic extrajudicial killings, and the Philippines has until recently refused to cooperate with the ICC investigation, which it announced in 2023.

“We will talk to them soon in a very well-defined manner, in the spirit of comity. Some people are trying to bridge the divide to bring us together, so we can sit at one table,” justice secretary Boying Remulla said in an interview.

“There are certain areas we can cooperate”, he told Reuters, stressing that “lines have to be drawn properly.”

Remulla’s remarks suggest a marked shift from the government’s previous hardline stance against the ICC, which it had insisted has no jurisdiction to investigate. The ICC, a court of last resort, says alleged crimes committed prior to a member’s withdrawal are within its scope.

Remulla said cooperation with an international tribunal remains permissible under Philippine law, adding ICC representatives “have been going in and out of the country without us raising anything.”

“I know that, as anecdotally from people I know from the human rights community, they’ve been in contact here,” he added.

SLUMLAND KILLINGS

According to police, 6,200 suspects were killed during anti-drug operations that they say ended in shootouts. But activists say the real toll of the crackdown was far greater, with thousands of slumland drug users, many of whom were included on official “watch lists,” killed in mysterious circumstances.

Police deny involvement in those killings and reject allegations from rights groups of systematic executions and cover-ups.

Duterte, 79, has been unapologetic in his defense of his campaign and says he told police to kill only in self-defense.

In a November congressional hearing, he urged the ICC to “hurry up” on its probe, adding, “If I go to hell, so be it.”

In response, Pres. Bongbong Marcos Jr. said his government would not block the ICC if Duterte wished to be investigated, adding the government would be obliged to comply with any international arrest warrant related to the drug war.

If indicted, Duterte could become the first Asian former head of state to go on trial at the ICC.

Asked about the possibility of the Philippines rejoining the ICC, Remulla said it was “another question.”

“We are starting to explore the limits of non-membership to the ICC and the extent of crimes committed prior to the withdrawal,” Remulla said, suggesting the country was open to limited cooperation with the court.

The ICC has said it does not comment on its investigations.

The Philippines has its own probe into the drug killings but has made little progress, despite what activists say is substantial evidence of a litany of abuses by state officials.

Remulla said the ICC’s work could help advance the Philippines’ own investigations.

“We have to admit the shortcomings that are there,” he said. “We always want to do justice for everyone.”

(Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Martin Petty and Michael Perry)

Privacy Statement

Our Privacy Commitment

TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.

Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?

We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:

To deliver news and updates on current events, sports, esports and entertainment;
To share livestreams of news and sports events;
To understand our viewers’ needs and preferences;
To meet legal and regulatory requirements; and
To perform other processes or disclosures that are required to comply with pertinent laws, rules, or regulations.

Where do we get your personal information?

There are several ways we collect your personal information.

Information that you personally provided.

Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
- Register to our programs or services;
- Inquired, filed a complaint or requested for our services;
- Took part in our research and surveys; and/or
- Became our Partner, Vendor, Contractor or Supplier.

Information we collect during your engagement with us

We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
- Viewing our websites;
- Activities that are being tracked by our website cookies;
- Calling our hotline;
- Using our apps, websites, and self-service channels and portals; and/or
- Joining our promos, prize raffles, or rewards and loyalty programs.

Information we collect from other sources

Other means of collection of information may be through:
- Our market research initiatives;
- When you visit and use our websites and mobile application; and
- Subsidiaries, affiliates, and third-party business partners to whom you have given consent to share your information to us.

When do we disclose personal information?

There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.

We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.

In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.

How we protect your personal information

The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.

We also put in effect the following safeguards:

We keep and protect your information using a secured server behind a firewall, encryption and security controls;
We keep your information only for as long as it is necessary for us to (a) provide the products and services that you avail from us, (b) for our legitimate business purposes, (c) to comply with pertinent laws, and (d) for special cases that will require the exercise or defense of legal claims;
We limit the access to your information only to qualified and authorized personnel who are trained to handle your information with strict confidentiality;
We undergo regular audits and rigorous testing of our infrastructure’s security protocols to ensure your data is always protected;
We promptly notify you and the National Privacy Commission when sensitive personal information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person; and
We let you update your information securely to keep our records accurate.

TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.

What are your choices?

We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.

If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.

Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph

What happens when there are changes in our Policy?

From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.

You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.