A SIGNATURE campaign calling anew to bring back home the former President Rodrigo Duterte made a stopover at Rizal Park in Davao City on Monday, Jan. 12
During the event, supporters were directed to sign a signature sheet with the subject: “Urgent Request for Resolution on Petitions Concerning the Arrest of Former President Rodrigo Duterte.”
Also in the sheet were details such as name, address, ID, ID number, and their signatures.
In the lower part of the sheet is a privacy notice indicating that, in compliance with applicable data protection standards, the personal information, including the full name, signature, address, and identification numbers of the signee, will be used solely as part of the attachment to the submission to the Supreme Court.
In the venue, a letter entitled: “Tay, kami naman! is addressed to the Honorable Justices of the Supreme Court.
“With due respect, we write to express grave concern over the unresolved petitions concerning the arrest of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and the actions of the Office of the President and other officials that led to his transfer to a foreign tribunal, despite his age and poor health,” the introductory part of the letter said.
It added that the petitions raise serious constitutional questions about executive power, due process, and the role of the judiciary.
It called on the Court to act on the four pending petitions (G.R. Nos. 278747, 278798, 278763, 278768) with urgency, considering their importance to the country and their impact on public trust.
It also requested the Court to declare void any act of the Office of the President or its officials that violates due process in relation to the arrest and treatment of Duterte.
It also requested that the Office of the President take legal steps to bring the former president back to the country under the protection of Philippine law.
“This case is extraordinary because it involves a former presidentーa citizen who once led the nation and is now entitled, like all Filipinos, to the protection of his rights,” it stressed.
“The manner of his arrest and transfer, carried out without clear judicial oversight, raises serious doubts about respect for the rule of law and for the authority of this Honorable Court,” it added.
The letter maintained that the arrest was influenced by politics rather than by the law.
Eight months had passed since Duterte had been in detention, and the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I has yet to hold a hearing to confirm the charge of crimes against humanity in relation to the war on drugs.
The signature campaign has its own website, which now collected 14,822 signatures, representing 3% of the 500,000 target. Previously, a signature campaign was done simultaneously in Quezon City and Pagadian City on Jan. 10.
