On June 18th, 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) found four Philippine police officers guilty of homicide in the deaths of a father and son. These officers are now facing prosecution for their roles in Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial anti-drug campaign, which resulted in numerous civilian casualties.
The court sentenced officers Virgilio Cervantes, Arnel de Guzman, Johnston Alacre, and Artemio Saguros to up to 10 years in prison and ordered them to pay the victim’s heirs US$5,120 or 300,000 pesos.
The family claims officers received lesser charges for homicide instead of mu*der, which carries a heavier sentence as it involves deliberate intent.
"Filipinas":
— ¿Por qué es tendencia? (@porquetendencia) April 2, 2020
Porque su presidente, Rodrigo Duterte, ordenó a la PolicÃa y al Ejército que disparen a matar a quienes violen la cuarentena y causen problemas pic.twitter.com/l9icminPc6
However, there are still dozens more police officers that the victims’ families accuse of taking part in a nighttime raid of Duterte substance war where they intentionally slaughtered many innocent people and claimed self-defense, per the family.
After the arrest of four police officers, the Philippines government has decided to investigate former president Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign. Also, netizens who are unaware of this facade are wondering if Rodrigo Duterte is still alive; well, he is alive and kicking.
The Philippines government has suspected Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug homicides were extrajudicial
The 79-year-old Rodrigo Duterte has been in a massive controversy as people accuse him of taking the lives of many innocent people during his aggressive campaign against illegal substances.
Reports claim many unidentified attackers had taken part in Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, suggesting the homicides were more personal rather than for the betterment of the country.
O presidente das Filipinas, Rodrigo Duterte, ameaçou prender as pessoas que se recusarem a tomar vacina da Covid-19. pic.twitter.com/hEWuSIxsOM
— UpdateCharts (@updatecharts) June 21, 2021
Therefore, the ICC has been investigating the Philippine drug crackdown run by Duterte.
Rodrigo Duterte previously refused to be involved in international trials and pulled the Philippines out of the ICC in 2019 after they filed a complaint against him.
In 2021, the ICC clearly stated that Duterte’s campaign looked like “A widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population took place pursuant to or in furtherance of a state policy.”
MANILA, Philippines — Former president Rodrigo Duterte said he would file charges against the Philippine National Police (PNP) over the Monday raid on the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KoJC) compound in Davao City.
— The Manila Times (@TheManilaTimes) June 14, 2024
READ: https://t.co/wYtJ1EQy9w pic.twitter.com/PGUX77Veez
Benar News stated that as per the Philippine government, police took the lives of around 8,000 suspected dealers in Duterte’s campaign, which included many innocent people. However, rights activists claim that the number could be much higher than that.
After reviewing the news article regarding his drug campaign accusation, it appears that Rodrigo Duterte is in real danger and might face various dangers as thousands of victims’ families are after his life.
Additional Information
- Rodrigo Duterte is the only Philippine president who has not revealed his assets or liabilities.
- His daughter, Sara Duterte, is the vice president of the Philippines and a certified lawyer.
- Rodrigo Duterte is still alive; however, there are chances for him to get into custody soon as he faces accusations of the homicide of innocent people during his presidency from 2016 to 2022.
