A lawmaker on Monday accused Vice President Sara Duterte of downplaying the International Criminal Court (ICC) case against her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is facing crimes against humanity charges over his administration’s war on drugs.
VP Duterte, currently in The Hague, Netherlands, is assembling her father’s legal team. Over the weekend, she challenged the accusers to name the 30,000 victims allegedly killed in the anti-drug campaign, pointing out that the ICC prosecution had only 181 pieces of evidence. She also criticized the ICC prosecutors, calling them “stupid.”
Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas condemned Duterte’s remarks, calling them insensitive and a dangerous disregard for human rights and justice. She emphasized that the evidence submitted to the ICC was not just about numbers but about proving a systematic pattern of state-sponsored violence, which disproportionately affected poor communities.
Brosas pointed out that each case represents real families who lost loved ones, saying, “Ang 43 na kaso ay hindi lang basta numero. Ito ay 43 na pamilyang nawalan ng mahal sa buhay.”
She also took a swipe at Duterte’s corruption controversy, stating that the real mark of incompetence was the alleged misuse of confidential funds, which reportedly listed snack brands and grocery items as fund recipients. “Instead of calling others stupid, Vice President Sara should look at her own issues. Ang totoong rurok ng kainutilan ay yung maglagay ng pangalan ng chichirya at grocery items bilang recipient ng confidential funds,” Brosas said.
ICC-accredited assistant counsel Kristina Conti questioned Duterte’s legal stance, suggesting that she may have been misguided in her understanding of international law, as it is not her area of expertise.
Meanwhile, former Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares rebutted Duterte’s challenge for the ICC to present the names of all 30,000 alleged victims, explaining that the Rome Statute does not require an exact number to establish crimes against humanity.
“If she plans to lawyer for President Duterte, she should know that the Rome Statute does not require a specific number to prove crimes against humanity,” Colmenares said. “The issue isn’t just about the exact number of dead—it’s about a president openly ordering killings, police acting with impunity, and a justice system that failed victims.”
On March 11, former President Duterte was arrested in the Philippines and subsequently transferred to The Hague following the ICC’s issuance of an arrest warrant. He now faces charges of crimes against humanity for his administration’s war on drugs, which allegedly resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings.