By Robert B. Roque, Jr.
September 8, 2022, is the deadline the International Criminal Court (ICC) gave to the Philippines to comment on its reinvestigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed by the Duterte administration in its bloody war on drugs.
And then, what?
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The fact is the ICC cannot impose its mandate on a sovereign nation whose government refuses to cooperate.
With a Marcos-Duterte tandem in the highest seat of power in the Philippines, the ICC is shooting for the stars.
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Apparently, the Office of the Solicitor General will answer for the Philippine government.
Well, good luck with that.
The Marcos administration’s SolGen just happens to be the Duterte administration’s Justice Secretary, Menardo Guevarra, who sought a halt to the ICC’s investigation in November last year.
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Until the Philippines gets past the Marcos administration, I fear the ICC’s chances of trying Duterte et al for crimes against humanity are close to nil.
Try again in 2028.
Oh, but wait. That is if Duterte’s daughter Sara does not get elected president.
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Because Russia and Ukraine are at war, it is estimated that 30-40 percent of the world’s exportable wheat is held hostage, prompting big wheat producers like India to also ban exports to secure their own supply.
Woe to our bread makers who contend with skyrocketing prices of flour and even sugar – now P100 per kilo – and stick to selling pandesal at P2.00 apiece.
Woe, too, to Juan and Juana – whose breakfast pandesal has shrunk to the size of the spoon they use to stir their morning coffee.
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In my life, I’ve never heard of chicken eggs sold at P15 per piece – not even the jumbo eggs or the duck eggs used for balut.
But with inflation’s shadow looming large on the most basic of food items, various social media posts last week warned that day is near when one egg would cost P15.
At the rate that’s going, it seems the price of eggs would race easier to the P20 mark way before President Bongbong pulls the price of rice down to P20 a kilo.
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Police busted eight individuals for extorting money from the operator of a “perya” or funfair in Calamba City, Laguna.
Suspects Anne Cortez, 32; Eric Florez Floro, 32; Rose Marie Malazarte, 53; Benjamin Olino Javier Jr., 60; Theresa dela Cruz Regaza, 27; Christopher Angeles Yu; Efren dela Cruz Regaza, 22; and Rodamy Llamazares Prado, 27, who yielded various press/media cards believed to be fake have given the journalism profession a bad name.
How about we go after the real-deal professionals who also give journalism a bad name?
The Calamba City police chief should be sanctioned for sleeping on the job. The extortion attempt proved the existence of illegal gambling on his turf.
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SHORT BURSTS. For comments or reactions, email firingline@ymail.com or tweet @Side_View. Read current and past issues of this column at https://www.thephilbiznews.com