Rody’s case could delay Sara’s impeach trial — solon

The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) issuance of an arrest warrant for former President Rodrigo Duterte could “delay” Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial if she is implicated with her father in the deadly war on drugs, a House member said on Monday.

Manila Rep. Joel Chua, chairperson of the House Blue Ribbon Committee and a member of its prosecution team, explained that if the warrant is served, the individuals involved would be brought to The Hague for trial, possibly hindering the impeachment proceedings against the Vice President.

However, Chua emphasized that they are not relying on the rumors, pending official confirmation of the warrant.

He said the impeachment trial will proceed unless the ICC requests the Vice President’s presence.

Sara has been implicated in the drug war, initially led by her father, which allegedly involved extrajudicial killings.

Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV claimed Sara continued the brutal drug war after succeeding her father as Davao City mayor in 2010, making her a “secondary” respondent in the ICC case which accuses both of crimes against humanity.

Sara has denied the allegations, stating that she was not involved with the Davao Death Squad, which was said to have carried out extrajudicial killings during her father’s tenure as mayor of Davao City.

Last year, Arturo Lascañas, a former Davao police officer, accused Sara of initiating “Oplan Tokhang” with Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa in 2012, but the Vice President dismissed his claims as “scripted.”

The House of Representatives impeached Sara Duterte on 5 February, citing seven impeachable offenses, including betrayal of public trust, bribery and high crimes. The impeachment complaint includes allegations of Sara’s involvement in killings linked to the anti-drug campaign.

Chua noted that Lascañas’s testimony before the ICC strengthened Article V of the impeachment complaint, potentially increasing Sara’s chances of conviction in the Senate.

An ICC arrest warrant was reportedly issued on 8 March, one day after former president Duterte and Sara flew to Hong Kong for an overseas Filipino workers event.

Critics speculated the trip was to evade arrest, but Duterte’s former legal counsel Salvador Panelo dismissed this as “fake news,” stating that the Dutertes were in Hong Kong for a public event.

In a speech in Hong Kong, former president Duterte said he would “accept” the consequences if the Interpol served the arrest warrant.

The Philippines officially withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019, after the ICC launched a preliminary investigation into Duterte’s drug war.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said that, despite the withdrawal, the Philippines is still obligated to cooperate with Interpol, which could request Duterte’s arrest.

Chua stressed that the Philippines must maintain cooperation with Interpol, pointing out that the country had relied on the organization’s support in the past, such as in tracking fugitives. Duterte, facing potential arrest, hinted he might stay in Hong Kong for up to a month.