Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero has stated that the Senate is open to providing an official transcript of its recent Blue Ribbon subcommittee investigation into the Duterte administration’s drug war if there is a “valid reason” for the request.
Escudero explained on Monday that while the Senate would readily certify a transcript of the hearings on extrajudicial killings (EJKs) linked to the drug war, it would require a legitimate basis for doing so. “Kung may mag-request na valid ang rason para i-request, hindi mag-aatubili ang Senado na mag-certify ng kopya ng transcript ng hearing na isinagawa kaugnay sa EJKs,” he said, emphasizing that requests would be screened for validity.
This comes shortly after former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV stated on social media that transcripts from the Senate probe into Duterte’s drug war had been sent to the International Criminal Court (ICC), potentially aiding the ICC’s investigation into former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte, who has remained silent on Trillanes’ claim, has previously admitted to endorsing a “death squad” in connection with his anti-drug campaign. Government data from Duterte’s term reports at least 6,200 drug suspects killed during police operations from June 2016 to November 2021. However, human rights organizations argue that the actual number of related deaths could reach 30,000 due to unreported cases.
The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019 after the ICC began investigating the drug war. In 2023, the ICC authorized the reopening of its inquiry, which was further upheld by the ICC Appeals Chamber, despite the Philippine government’s objections.