17/07/2025
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ | ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ง ๐จ๐๐ญ๐ก ๐ง๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง
On March 11, the entire Philippine nation, shaken by Rodrigo Roa โThe Punisherโ Duterteโs turnover to the International Criminal Court (ICC), seemed to choke on the upheaval it could no longer push aside. His surrender only underscored a painful truthโwhen a nation bars justice under its own lock and key, the world is bound to step in and force it open.
Many people were stunned by Duterteโs arrest, triggering an uproar of reactions. One pressing question stood out: why did justice leap to The Hague before landing at home? The answer lies in his capture itself.
On this World Day of International Criminal Justice, the world reminds us that justice must begin in its motherland, not be estranged from it. Nowhere does this reminder resonate more than in the Philippinesโa nation long entangled in a tense push-and-pull with the International Criminal Court over accountability, especially after then-President Duterte withdrew the country from the court in 2018, shortly after it began investigating his administrationโs deadly drug war. Nevertheless, the withdrawal does not grant him impunity, since his alleged crimes fall squarely within the countryโs ICC jurisdiction. The court, bound by the principle of complementarity, intervenes only when national systems are unwilling or unable to genuinely investigate or prosecute those responsible. As domestic mechanisms continue to lack concrete and progressive investigative steps, independence, and a firm commitment to accountability, the ICC becomes the only hopeful toast to justice.
On the third day of his arrest, he assured his supporters and sent word from The Hague through his daughter, Vice President Sara: โSabihin mo sa kanila, relax lang. May hangganan ang lahat. There will be a day of reckoning for all.โ
Though it was a message that seemed to speak in either an oath or an omen, it must be neither. Justice must be real, not rhetorical. And for that to come to fruition, the state must be proactive in establishing independence and accountability in its institutionsโand prove that no one is beyond the reach of justice. Only then can the Philippines claim that it needs no outside court to do the job it refused to do for itself. Until then, the ICCโs presence is not interferenceโitโs consequence.
โAnd then revenge is very good eaten cold, as the vulgar say,โ so it is said. But at the heart of it all, revenge is a feast that only starves the fragile and hungers the scarred. This is not revenge on โThe Punisherโ; this is only justice catching up to the victory toast. And that last toast must always be to the right and justโnot from the thirst to strike back. Behind every clink, a reckoning waitsโbecause justice, too, is a banquet best served cold, where everyone mustโand shouldโget their turn.
