Bicol storms, Bicol boys

This week, two storms hit Bicol. The first is political. Former senator Leila de Lima, jailed for six years and Bicol's political icon, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, faced the powerful House quad committee on drugs; public order and safety; human rights and accounts, to detail the extraordinary killings when Rodrigo Duterte was mayor of Davao, and to complain against the injustices done against her by Duterte as president, to silence her and punish her for exposing the EJKS.

- ELFREN S. CRUZ

Her testimony lasted over an hour, after which she asked the House to let the International Criminal Court take over Duterte's case as a crime against humanity.

The second storm is more devastating on the life of Filipinos, particularly Bicolanos. Tropical Storm Kristine, despite being only Typhoon Signal 1 or 2, poured more rains on Bicol in one day (on Oct. 23) than the rainfall expected in one month, more than 440 millimeters even before the TS could make landfall, which is early morning of Oct. 24.

Before quad comm, De Lima insisted that despite the Philippines' withdrawal - by then president Duterte from the ICC or Rome Statute (ratified by the Philippine Senate in 2011), a law, RA 9851, enables the country to remain with the ICC.

RA 9851, "An Act Defining and Penalizing Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity, Organizing, Jurisdiction, Designating Special Courts and for Related Purposes," was enacted Dec. 11, 2009. It punishes the same crimes under the ICC's Rome Statute.

Still, since the quad comm now acts like a Truth Commission (De Lima's description), then it shows a criminal justice system works in this country. ICC comes in only when a country cannot enforce its laws and demand accountability from offenders.

Which means Digong Duterte will have to deal with his favorite bete noir, the president of the Philippines, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. The old man's judicial future is now literally in BBM's hands. A stroke of signature can clear things up.