ILOILO CITY (PIA) – Former Iloilo assemblyman Salvador Britanico, whose son was included among the victims of extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, has welcomed the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte based on an International Criminal Court warrant on charges of crimes against humanity.
Britanico, a lawyer and former Barangay Association for National Advancement and Transparency party-list representative, said in an interview with Bombo Radyo Iloilo that it is appropriate for the ICC to take Duterte into custody and face charges against him.
“Kay man kung taga aton lang ang ma-investigate, whatever is the outcome, may dako gid nga deperensya. Mareklamo man gyapon kag magkaginamo pa sa kalye,” Britanico explained. (If the investigation will be done here, I think there will still be a difference in the outcome. People will still complain and there might be chaos on the streets.)
He added that the public will not suspect any interference from the current Marcos administration in judges’ decisions when Duterte faces charges in an international court, rather than being tried domestically.
Duterte was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport upon returning from Hong Kong on March 11.
Following his arrest, Duterte was brought to Villamor Air Base in Pasay City and boarded a Gulfstream G550 aircraft bound for The Hague, Netherlands, where the ICC is located.
Britanico considered Duterte’s arrest a step closer to justice for his son’s death, but pointed out that it is essential for those responsible for the killings, including law enforcement officers, to be held accountable.
He added that he also wanted those who participated in his son’s murder and other extrajudicial killings convicted, noting that true justice can only be achieved if not only Duterte, but also those complicit in the murders are convicted and arrested.
Britanico’s 36-year-old son, Delfin, was shot dead while riding a BMW motorcycle in Barangay Nabitasan, La Paz district, on Jan. 19, 2020. Among those charged in Delfin Britanico’s murder were police officers. (AAL/JNH/PIA Iloilo)
