Atty. Howie Calleja
Being “Rhetorical” refer to anything from empty language to energetic verbal posturing. Rhetoric, they say, means “using fancy talk to say nothing; lots of style and no content – just rhetoric,” so ironically, when you claim “sovereignty” in an international arena yet choose to be defended by foreign nationals, aren’t you just being rhetorical?
Hypocrisy is another story. According to British political philosopher David Runciman, “other kinds of hypocritical deception include claims to knowledge that one lacks, claims to a consistency that one cannot sustain, claims to a loyalty that one does not possess, claims to an identity that one does not hold”. American political journalist Michael Gerson says that political hypocrisy is “the conscious use of a mask to fool the public and gain political benefit” Again, within these definitions; isn’t Former Duterte’s narrative of asserting national sovereignty from ICC’s jurisdiction a plain and simple form of hypocrisy in having a purely foreign legal team?
Don’t get me wrong, it is a person’s fundamental right to choose the lawyers he/she feels that can best defend one’s case in a court of law but don’t use sovereignty as a mere rhetorical nor hypocritical talking point just to sway public opinion. Show the public, that equally competent Filipino lawyers are ready to defend the so-called “sovereignty” you are postulating. At present there are 5 Filipino ICC accredited lawyers and one ex ICC judge who can guide and assist Duterte, although I highly doubt ex ICC judge Raul Pangalangan will even assist or help Duterte having known him to be a good and upright individual as and strong defender on human rights.
I am sure that Kaufman with his 34 years of experience in international law, and who has previously represented former Congo Vice President Jean Pierre Bemba and former Central African Republic minister Maxime Mokom, who were also charged with crimes against humanity before the ICC will be an effective lawyer for this case but a Filipino defendant defended by a fellow Filipino sends a much compelling case on the issue of sovereignty which goes beyond mere rhetoric and hypocrisy.
Well, the cost repercussions of his purely foreign legal team with Rodrigo Duterte’s estimated net worth in 2025 around $550,000 USD (around 28.5 million PHP) is a totally different discussion but I pray that our “kababayans” will rise above all the political noise and see the facts beyond mere rhetorical and hypocritical statements made in our public sphere.
