Two progressive lawmakers have filed a resolution at the House of Representatives opposing any attempt to secure the interim release of former president Rodrigo Duterte from the International Criminal Court (ICC), where he remains detained in The Hague over allegations of crimes against humanity.
Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio jointly filed House Resolution No. 9, urging Congress to support Duterte’s continued detention to ensure justice for victims of his controversial war on drugs. The resolution highlights the role of state actors in human rights violations and calls on the House to uphold “justice and accountability, the basic tenets of a democratic and humane society.”
Duterte, detained since March, faces charges related to his bloody anti-drug campaign, which human rights groups say claimed thousands of lives. His legal team filed a motion on June 12 for his temporary release to an undisclosed country, arguing that he poses no threat to victims or the court, as he no longer holds office.
The two lawmakers also filed several related bills, including one to penalize red-tagging, another to remove excise taxes on petroleum products, and a proposal to increase public school teachers’ monthly minimum salary to ₱50,000. They also revived a SOGIESC equality bill aimed at protecting LGBTQ+ rights.
