Criminal rap vs Rodrigo Duterte puts justice system to tough test – lawyer
MANILA, Philippines — The criminal complaint lodged against former President Rodrigo Duterte is a test of the country’s justice system, a lawyer of ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro said Tuesday. Castro filed a complaint of grave threat against Duterte for the statements he made in a TV program of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) that seemed like a death threat to the party-list lawmaker. READ: Rep. Castro files complaint vs ex-president Duterte over death threat Atty. Rico Domingo of the Movement Against Disinformation (MAD) said the complaint will show how effective – or ineffective – the country’s judicial and prosecutorial system is. “Actually, we in the MAD look at this from another angle too […] this is a challenge to our judicial and prosecutorial system, as to how effective or ineffective it is. If a criminal charge against the child of a high-ranking official was resolved in three months, why can’t they do this here?” Domingo, a co-convener of MAD, told reporters in Filipino during a press briefing that followed Castro’s filing of the complaint. “Now, what is the result? We do not know that. That depends on the fiscal […] I repeat, we are testing the prosecutorial and the judicial system, how effective or not effective it is,” he added. READ: House reps find Duterte’s tirades offensive, a serious attack – secretary general According to Domingo, concerns about the country’s justice system pushed some drug war victims’ relatives to bring their cases before the International Criminal Court (ICC). He said the families feel that the ICC will address their concerns than in the Philippines. “And that is the main reason why some of our countrymen are going to the international criminal court because the perception is that our judicial and prosecutorial system – with all due respect – is not effective and cannot dispense justice the way it should be,” he said. Lawyer and professor Antonio La Viña, another MAD convener and counsel of Castro, said that despite issues and problems, they would like to believe still that the rule of law governs the country. READ: House party chiefs tell Duterte: Stop the threats However, like Domingo, he leaves the decision on Castro’s complaint to the prosecutor. “We’re sticking strictly by the rule of law here. We can say that while very slow, even at the height of big problems, we are able to move the wheels of justice,”
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