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The Senate on Tuesday formally adopted the resolution expressing its sense to allow Filipinos accused of crimes abroad to first avail of legal remedies from Philippine courts before being surrendered to international tribunals.
During the plenary session, Senate Resolution No. 307 was approved following the continuation of the period of amendments.
One notable amendment was replacing the term “extraordinary rendition” in the resolution’s title with “extrajudicial rendition.”
The new title of the resolution is: “Resolution expressing the sense of the Senate of the Philippines to protect all Filipinos against extrajudicial rendition and guarantee them a reasonable time prior to their surrender by or extradition from the Philippines to seek redress from the courts and avail of legal remedies.”
Senators Risa Hontiveros, Kiko Pangilinan, and Bam Aquino voted against adopting the resolution.
“Due process is not confined to a Philippine courtroom. Surrender to the ICC is not a deprivation of due process; it is the means by which due process is realized. The ICC provides for principles which ensure fair proceedings and ample opportunity to be heard,” Hontiveros explained.
Pangilinan, who chairs the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, said that he voted for justice and the victims of human rights abuses.
“Habang dinedebate sa resolusyon na ito tungkol sa due process at kapangyarihan ng ating mga lokal na korte na magpasya tungkol sa mga maaaring maaresto sa bisa ng mga warrant ng ICC, ‘yung libo-libong pinatay sa ngalan ng Oplan Double Barrel na ‘yan ang paratang sa ICC case ngayon. ‘Yung libo-libo na ‘yun ay hindi nabigyan ng due process. Hindi na sila pinaabot sa korte, kundi derecho sila morgue,” he said.
(While we debate on this resolution about due process and the power of our local courts to decide on those who may be arrested under ICC warrants, the thousands killed under the Oplan Double Barrel are the cases used in the ICC today. Those thousands killed were not given due process. They were not brought to court, but were taken straight to the morgue.)
To recall, the resolution was filed after the International Criminal Court (ICC) Office of the Prosecutor identified incumbent Senators Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa—both members of the minority bloc—as among the alleged co-perpetrators in the crimes against humanity case of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
It was initially signed by all nine members of the Senate minority bloc, including Dela Rosa and Go. —LDF, GMA Integrated News
