MAAARING sa loob ng kulungan gugugulin ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang kanyang nalalabing araw kung mapapatunayang guilty ng International Criminal Court (ICC) sa The Hague, Netherlands sa kasong mass murder, na ang paglilitis ay maaaring tumagal ng anim na taon.

“He is facing 43 counts of murder in the crimes against humanity case. One conviction alone for each count (or killing) is more than enough to put him away,” saad ni House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega ng La Union patungkol sa 79 taong gulang na dating pangulo na nakatakdang magdiwang ng kanyang kaarawan sa darating na Marso 28.

Nakipagtulungan ang Philippine National Police sa International Police para ipatupad ang warrant of arrest na inilabas ng ICC noong Marso 7, matapos itong umuwi sa bansa mula sa Hong Kong noong Marso 11.

“At least in ICC, we are assured of a very fair trial where nobody—both in the camp of Duterte or even the Philippine government—can exert any form of influence for the judges to rule in their favor. For one, judges were neither appointed by Duterte nor President Marcos,” punto niya.

Sa ilalim ng panuntunan ng ICC, ang conviction sa isang murder lamang ay maaaring umabot sa hindi bababa sa 30 taong pagkakakulong hanggang sa habang buhay na sintensya. Gayunpaman ang global court ay hindi naglilitis ng isa-isang kaso ng pagpatay bagkus ay “crimes against humanity.”

Ilang mga diktador din aniya ang nahaharap sa kasong genocide kung saan ang kanilang bansa ay may civil war.

“So, even if you credit and apply, say the last five years of trial, then it would still be a net of 25 years. He will be 105 years old by then. And that is for one murder case alone,” paliwanag ni Ortega.

Higit pa rito, minamandato ng ICC na ang nasasakdal ay pisikal na dumalo sa paglilitis gaano man katagal ang abutin.

“Unlike in our case, where bail can sometimes be granted, there is no trial in absentia in ICC. He (Duterte) has to be there for the whole duration of the trial, just like everybody else,” ani Ortega.

Umaasa si Ortega na ang pagharap ngayon ni Duterte sa ICC ay magsilbing aral sa mga lider sa buong mundo.

“We have to bear in mind that power is only temporary. Therefore, we should not abuse power because power is not forever. World leaders should avoid hubris but should rather practice humility. Presidents come and go, and even dictators fade away too,” diin ni Ortega.

“As public officials, we have to use our power in the right way and we should always be fair,” dagdag niya.