The argument raised before the International Criminal Court (ICC) that former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s drug war remarks were merely jokes, hyperbole, or figures of speech was rejected by a House leader, who said such a defense cannot apply to the country’s highest officials.

Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, chair of the House Committee on Public Accounts, said the issue goes beyond semantics and strikes at how government pronouncements are treated in practice.

“Alam po ninyo, ang lahat ng sinasabi ng mga matataas na pinuno ng pamahalaan, ito po ay tinatrato bilang magiging patakaran. Ibig sabihin, wala po ang ‘yung hyperbole, wala pong puwang ‘yung figures of speech sa paglalatag po ng mga patakaran,” Ridon said during the Saturday Media Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City.

The solon said that whether one is president or vice president, statements made publicly are not treated as jokes, especially when they involve threats and come from the country’s highest official who exercises authority over the police and the military.

Ridon’s comment came after defense lawyer Nicholas Kaufman argued during ICC confirmation-of-charges proceedings that Duterte’s public statements — frequently cited by prosecutors — should not be taken literally but understood as political rhetoric.

The ICC case involves alleged crimes against humanity linked to thousands of deaths during the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.

Prosecutors argued the former president’s statements encouraged or signaled deadly operations, while the defense insisted they were merely rhetoric.

The case boils down to whether the former president’s remarks were merely jokes, hyperbole, or figures of speech, or whether they carried operational weight, Ridon said.

“Ang sinasabi po nila, sa bawat panahon na nagbibigay ng banta ang dating pangulo, meron pong namamatay na mga biktima ng Duterte drug war,” Ridon said.

“So ibig sabihin, parang ang teorya po ng prosekusyon, merong actual control over anti-drug activities. Ang pangulo po mismo, based on the words of the president,” he added.

Ridon said the ICC will ultimately decide whether the case proceeds to full trial but stressed that public officials must recognize the weight of their words.

“I think it is a good policy for high government officials na wala hong jokes dito. Kumbaga, kung ano ho ‘yung sinasabi po natin, ‘yan po ‘yung pinakikinggan ng mga kababayan po natin, ‘yan po ‘yung pinaniniwalaan,” he said.