BY ALEX ALAGON
BY ALEX ALAGON
Looks like the world is getting smaller for former Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque these days.
Roque, who is now gallivanting abroad and hoping to secure asylum, preferably in the Netherlands, is starting to get rebuffs from the camp of his former boss in Malacanang, then President Rodrigo R. Duterte, who is presently detained in the detention center of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The former President is facing a case of crimes against humanity at the ICC.
Initially, Roque was denied asylum by the government of the Netherlands, but he is still there, hoping that his case will be reconsidered by the Dutch government.
The former spokesman of FPRRD was earlier rejected as part of the defense team of the former President. This despite the fact that he is one of only very few Filipino lawyers accredited by the ICC.
Of late, Roque’s statements made on the case of his former boss have been considered by the Defense team of Duterte, led by lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, as “interference” in their work and might possibly affect adversely the defense team’s strategy.
Of course, the former Presidential spokesman was quick to deny that he is interfering in the Duterte defense team’s activities.
In the early days of the former President’s incarceration at The Hague, VP Sara, who was the one working for the organization of his father’s defense team, appeared wanting in interest in having Roque as a member.
Of course, the VP’s action is understandable. After all, how could she be assured of Roque’s full attention in the defense of his father when the former was also having a problem of his own, that is, defending himself from some cases he is facing in the Philippines – the very reason he left the country.
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Acting Mayor Baste Duterte is lambasting the Marcos, Jr. administration for its apparent toleration of online gambling even after vilifying the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) last year.
According to Baste, the Marcos Jr’s administration only succeeded in politicizing the POGO halt despite the millions of pesos it brought to the government treasury. Besides, he added, the target clients of POGOs were not Filipinos but big-time gamblers from other countries like China.
Now, the younger Duterte said, the administration is coddling the operation of online gambling with Filipinos as its clients. And this has been going on without a single centavo in taxes paid to the government.
But we are also wondering whether Mayor Baste has noticed that in his own turf, online gambling “couched” by the so-called legally allowed Small Town Lottery (STL) betting outlets is now growing in number like mushrooms sprouting underneath banana plants. How about this phenomenon of booking outlets for the small town lottery? We are just wondering if the acting mayor has knowledge of the massive rise in the number of these outlets for gambling, which in some areas are barely less than 300 to 400 meters away from each other.
For now, we have heard of famous names mentioned as operators of these betting venues for STL (kuno), but they are actually just “fronts” of the more juicy illegal Last 2 operation.
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This one is worth the recognition as a major news story of the world.
Remember that Ukraine has been at war with Russia for about two years now. And despite several attempts, Russia still failed to steamroll into Ukraine despite its massive size. In fact, Ukraine even brings the war to Russia’s domain without necessarily sending foot on the ground.
But only this week, it appears that some other “forces” succeeded in “invading” Ukraine. And because of the ongoing war, the Ukrainian authorities seem convinced that the country will have a hard time thwarting the new “invaders.”
And the Ukrainian government is so afraid that, should the “invasion” not be thwarted early, chances are the country may end up having a serious food shortage.
The “invaders?” Locusts, swarms of these large insects, are now attacking Ukrainian farm crops that are feeding its people, including the already exhausted soldiers, while they are locked in a struggle against Russia.
The worst fear of the Ukrainian people is that if these “invaders” are not halted, chances are the country may be on its way to a serious hunger. And the country cannot afford to spare money since it is spent mostly on the country’s effort to sustain its war against Russia.
Quo Vadis Ukraine?
THE DEFENSE team for former Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has signaled a strategic approach to his upcoming confirmation hearing before the International Criminal Court (ICC), indicating they will not present an alibi, raise grounds for excluding criminal responsibility, or call witnesses at this stage.
In observations submitted to the ICC, Duterte’s legal representatives stated their intention to limit disclosures of information to prevent the Prosecution from gaining a strategic advantage.
While they will provide some documentary evidence, the defense emphasized that ongoing investigations should not be a cause for delaying the proceedings.
This development comes as the ICC continues its processes related to the case against the former president.
The confirmation hearing is a crucial stage in the ICC’s proceedings, where a Pre-Trial Chamber determines whether there is sufficient evidence to establish “substantial grounds to believe” that the suspect committed the crimes with which they are charged, before the case can proceed to trial.
Duterte was previously arrested in Manila on March 11, 2025, under an ICC warrant and subsequently transferred to The Hague.
He is accused of responsibility for deaths during his “war on drugs” campaign between 2016 and 2022.
Moreover, the defense’s decision not to present an alibi or call witnesses at the confirmation hearing suggests a focus on challenging the sufficiency of the Prosecution’s evidence based on the materials already presented, rather than introducing new factual defenses at this preliminary stage.
Their stance on limiting disclosures also highlights a tactical move to control the flow of information as the case progresses.
The ICC has set the confirmation of charges hearing to begin on Sept. 23, 2025.
We missed this space in yesterday’s online edition. The reason? We were pre-occupied with our having to attend to some visitors – all close relatives of the wife who came from the United States and some from Hinunangan, Southern Leyte.
Yesterday morning we brought our visitors to Davao International Airport taking the alternate route from the place where we have our rural residence passing through Mandug, then to Buhangin center them to C. P. Garcia Diversion road up to the airport.
From our residence up to sitio Lapuy in Mandug there were three times that a snake crossed our way. The superstitious believer in us leads us to believe that the snake crossing incidents were signs of bad omen.
So we became extremely careful in our driving. We were so afraid that something might happen to us along the way. This is all because since birth we were brainwashed into believing that such snake crossing incidents are major signs that all is not well on the person who happens to encounter not only once but many times snakes along the way; that he or she is potential victim of misfortune.
We however, are not quite convinced that such a situation could happen with barely seeing or encountering snakes. So we could not help but wonder why yesterday was a little bit unusual for us. Imagine seeing a snake three times in a rather short route to the airport.
But then as soon as we arrived back at the house yesterday mid-morning from the airport and had a chance to scan the messages received and/or posts in our mobile, we suddenly realized why. Yesterday, September 16, was World Snake Day. The snakes we encountered on the road may be on the way to a grand rally.
It looks like the snakes have outsmarted the crocodiles. While the latter animal are known habitating swampy areas and marshlands in some parts of the country, and they too are perceived “invading” the sanctums of Congress and the roads, the former are known slithering most of the time in the grassy woodlands. Some are in the sanctuary of commercially-operated zoos.
And the slippery-bodied snakes are lucky to get honored at least a day in a year. Will the crocodiles someday or years have their day, too?
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Presidential sister (?) Sen. Imee Marcos has filed a bill in the Senate called the Rodrigo Duterte Bill. It aims to have a law enacted prohibiting the arrest or detention of any individual within Philippine territory –and their transfer to an international court or incarceration center without a warrant issued by a Philippine court. The Bill is denominated Senate Bill No. 557.
“Is the Presidential sister still paying her family’s “debt of gratitude” to the man who allowed the burial of her father’s remains in the Libingan ng mga Bayani?”
Senator Marcos takes as her guiding motivation in introducing the Bill the arrest and transfer of former President Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention center in The Hague, Netherland.
Citing that the Duterte arrest by the ICC without corresponding warrant from a Philippine court was a clear “abuse that may likewise be committed against other Filipinos.”
Well, this Senator Marcos bill is clearly very well-intentioned. But somehow, many cannot be faulted if they doubt the real purpose of the lady lawmaker from Ilocos Norte in introducing the bill, Say, how much rubbing of elbows is the lady senator is doing with the Davao-based opposition leader to the administration of her brother?
Or, is the Presidential sister still paying her family’s “debt of gratitude” to the man who allowed the burial of her father’s remains in the Libingan ng mga Bayani?
But of course the Bill, once it becomes a law, will benefit the most those leaders, civilian or uniformed, in the years to come.
But while there is the possibility that even if the Imee Marcos bill is to ensure that the authority of international courts or bodies where the Philippines is a member will abuse the power given them in the any of the statutes, some Philippine officials may also abuse the guarantees given them under the proposed Duterte Act, should it become a law.
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Is it Davao City itself wanting in resources that the rehabilitation or repair and installation of traffic light in various road intersections is delayed?
Is the delay in the realization of the Rapid Bus Transport System also contributory to the delay of the same repair and rehabilitation of traffic lights? That is what people are made to believe by the City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO).
We thought all the while that for so long we have been priding our city to be without a single centavo in indebtedness. Now traffic management officials claim the city is lacking in resources for the traffic light repair and rehab project
Our take on the issue however, is that the repair and rehabilitation of the fast deteriorating traffic lights in the city is not one immediate priority project of the city government. It might have other projects the city leadership considers more important than having a 100 percent traffic lights functional.
Now we know why Davao City is among the top ten cities with very chaotic vehicular situation as per survey conducted by a body tasked to do a study of the cities’ traffic situation all over the world.
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Newly assumed mayor Lemuel Reyes of the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS) personally destroyed a Small Town Lottery outlet booth installed in front of IGaCoS’s City Hall. His act was covered on video and was posted in the social media.
We are inclined to believe that the city mayor is serious in his campaign against the proliferation of STL in his city. The question is, will his drive against this form of gambling that is patronized by majority of the population all over the country be sustained? Will not the bigtime operator succeed in influencing his future decision on the STL using the power of money?
In fact a few years back the disavowal by a former City Mayor of Davao resulted to the disappearance of STL outlets all over the city. But now the STL is back with a vengeance. Even roads in remote barangay are lined up with STL outlets that we have observed to be something like 100 to 200 meters apart.
Meanwhile, we know that when Mayor Reyes did the dismantling of the STL outlet in front of his City Hall and with his warning that he will not hesitate to do the same to the gambling outlets located not far from schools, he sort of giving realization to the popular saying “the die is cast.”
For such a bold move we will assure Mayor Reyes that we, and perhaps several other members of the media in Davao, will be strongly behind him.
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Some columns back we challenged the newly assumed Congressman of Davao del Norte’s first district to do something to the law governing the country’s Juvenile Justice System. The law bars the incarceration of youthful offenders from being detained in the regular prison. Instead the said law mandates that young criminals below 18 years old must still be under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). It also quashes criminal liability to offenders 14 years old and below.
This is exactly what happened to the latest of the suspected perpetrators in the alleged robbery with homicide in a house at La Filipina Village in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.
“The same law exempts the 12-year-old from criminal liability. So, the possibility is that no criminal cases will be filed against him. What a travesty of justice brought about by a law that is supposed to give justice to victims of criminality regardless of who the perpetrators are.”
The incident that happened early last week led to the death of a first year student of the University of the Philippines who was found to have 28 stab wounds. All the suspects were minors with the last one arrested as the youngest at 14.
But again, according to the Tagum police, the same law exempts the 12-year-old from criminal liability. So, the possibility is that no criminal cases will be filed against him. What a travesty of justice brought about by a law that is supposed to give justice to victims of criminality regardless of who the perpetrators are.
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The defense team of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte in his crime against humanity case now lodged with the International Criminal Court (ICC) based in The Hague, Netherlands is petitioning for the immediate and unconditional release of the former Philippine President. The ground? According to the petition, the ICC “lacks the jurisdictional basis to continue proceedings against him.”
What are the chances that the ICC will grant the petition? Our take is that it will turn the petition down. We do not think that the ICC will contradict its earlier ruling on a Petition for an interim release where the defense itself set certain conditions, one of which is that the former chief executive will not go home to his country but rather, go to a country that is willing to offer him temporary stay.
Of course the defense team headed by ICC-accredited lawyer Nicholas Kauffman might have found damning mess in the documents supporting the charges of crime against humanity submitted to the ICC.
Thus, now the defense team is showing exceptional courage to demand for the accused former Philippine President’s release without any condition whatsoever.
Naturally, if Kauffman and company can prove to the ICC that indeed the said court “lacks jurisdictional basis” then the former President may soon be on his way out of that prison so distant from home.
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Well, the environmentalist groups currently locked in legal battle over their desire to stop the Samal Island-Davao City Connector bridge construction might as well pour their time, efforts and resources to the griever issue on environment in the unabated open pit mining of nickel in Pujada island fronting Mati City, Davao Oriental.
Considering the size of the areas – both water and land – affected by the open pit extraction, the magnitude of the damage to the environment is unimaginable.
Personally, it is our take that if the possible damage to environment both underwater and in the surface, on the alignment of the Samal-Davao Bridge now under construction is to be ranged with the environmental damage that will be heaped by the open-pit nickel mining in Pujada island, the former possible damage pales in comparison
THE DEFENSE team of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has formally requested his “immediate and unconditional release” from the International Criminal Court (ICC), arguing that the court lacks the jurisdictional basis to continue proceedings against him.
The submission, made on July 10, 2025, by lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman and associate counsel Dov Jacobs, serves as a reply to the Prosecution’s response to the defense’s challenge on jurisdiction.
In their latest filing, Duterte’s lawyers vehemently asserted that the ICC cannot investigate acts committed within a state that has withdrawn from the Rome Statute at the time jurisdiction is being exercised.
They placed the onus squarely on the Prosecution, stating, “At the end of the day, it is the Prosecution which must shoulder the responsibility for its miscalculated and, ultimately, erroneous decision not to investigate within the designated time-period.”
A significant point of contention raised by the defense was the alleged delay by the Prosecution in disclosing crucial materials related to the proceedings.
The defense team criticized this as more than a mere oversight, claiming, “The prosecution’s failure to initiate goes beyond mere oversight.
Such wilful neglect palpably impeded the defense’s preparation of the jurisdictional challenge.
“Furthermore, the defense explicitly rejected arguments that invoke the “fight against impunity” to justify a broad interpretation of the Rome Statute.
They emphasized the paramount importance of due process and legal propriety, stating, “Even if combatting impunity is deemed by many to be the raison d’etre for the International Criminal Court, the pursuit of accountability cannot prioritise victims’ expectations over a suspect’s right to legal propriety and due process.”
The lawyers also highlighted former President Duterte’s consistent stance on accountability, quoting his previous statement: “If I committed a sin, prosecute me in the Philippine courts, with Filipino judges, and I will allow myself to be jailed in my own nation.”
This quote was used to underscore that “Mr. Duterte has never expressed a desire to shirk accountability,” but rather insists on facing justice within his own country’s legal system.
The defense’s latest submission marks a critical development in the ongoing legal battle, as it directly challenges the ICC’s authority to prosecute the former president, pushing for an end to the proceedings based on jurisdictional grounds.
IF THIS post on social media is true, that the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, only allows former President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s former wife, Elizabeth Zimmerman, to stay and take care of his personal, then this situation is slowly giving truth to the saying that “Gaano man kahaba ang prosesyon sa simbahan pa rin ang balik nito.”
“No matter how long the procession is, it always leads back to the Church.”
A FILIPINO PROVERB
In English, “No matter how long the procession is, it always leads back to the Church.” Somehow, the post validated stories on social media about the former President telling his women to start looking for other men with credit cards.
Yes, FPRRD’s “other women” who went to The Hague reportedly to visit the detained former Chief Executive were refused their request to personally see their man. In other words, if they were denied a personal visit, then they have no way of taking care of the personal needs of FPRRD.
It was also posted on the same platform that the children of FPRRD, with his former wife as well as his grandchildren with them, are extremely happy with the said development.
It’s hardly surprising. After the break-up of their parents and the pain that goes with the estrangement, they could now look forward to becoming a family again. Hopefully back in one house and in Davao City, Philippines.
Of course, it comes with a huge price to pay. That is, the incarceration of the former President in a land so far away that it will take a fortune for members of his family to visit too often.
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This paper’s online edition yesterday had for its banner headline a run executed by some 5,500 runners. The run was dubbed “Run for FPRRD.” No, the participants in the activity were not running away from the former President. Neither did they run to meet him at the Bangoy International Airport, not yet.
They run to show their support for the former President and their solid intention to deliver a strong message to the ICC about how the former President is loved by his fellow Davaoeños. Thus, if only to manifest their strong desire to have the ICC allow the former President’s interim release, they have to run even on the first working day of the week.
Will the run by a mass of 5,500 people persuade the ICC judges to grant the petition of the former President for an interim release through his lawyer? We can only hope. However, such a manifestation is a steep climb. We Filipinos must admit that the judges in that international court are all non-Filipinos. Therefore, they have traits totally different from ours.
It is even possible that they have their own way of interpreting the laws that govern the litigation of crimes referred to the ICC judges for resolution.
We can only wish that they be given the wisdom to interpret the laws they are supposed to refer to as a guide in resolving cases brought into their laps for resolution.
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The Department of Education-Davao City Division, in coordination with the city government, is contemplating constructing more buildings in various campuses to address the lack of classrooms. We are just wondering if the city school authorities have realized that the campuses of public schools, especially those in the city’s downtown areas and its peripheries, are already congested with buildings to the maximum.
Yes, we had been to several schools in the city proper during our time as head of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Department of Davao Light. We noted that buildings were erected because the increase in the number of students was also spiraling. The result? Well, many campuses in the city proper and in the peripheries are getting so crowded that hardly a vacant space is left for the students to have some extra ground to get fresh air or loiter to relax.
Now, the students in public schools, both elementary and high school, converge in these campuses. Though they may already be accommodated by the additional classrooms constructed and the shifting scheme, the school campuses concerned are already too crowded. The huge number of students inside the school campus becomes like sardines packed in every available space.
Why will not the DepEd and the local government explore the possibility of establishing additional school campuses where new edifices can be built? This will definitely address the classroom lack. It will also solve the congestion of students in existing campuses.
Of course, the availability of vacant city government or national lands may be a problem. But as the common saying goes, problems have solutions. And like miracles, solutions are always there. It is only the will to explore it that is needed in order to have it.
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