MANILA, Philippines – Itinuro ng mga pamilya ng mga biktima ng drug war ang “twisted and conflicting narratives” hinggil sa kalusugan ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte, dahil sa mga sinasabi ng anak nito na “pretty strong” ang dating Pangulo samantalang sinasabi ng kanyang mga abogado na siya ay “not fit to stand trial.”
“Ano ba talaga?” ani Llore Pasco, na ang dalawang anak na lalaki ay napatay sa gitna ng giyera laban sa droga at isang miyembro ng grupong Rise Up for Life and for Rights. “What is clear is that they are lying through their teeth. They are not even united in their own narrative.”
Ginawa ni Pasco ang pahayag matapos sabihin ng International Criminal Court (ICC) na humiling ang defense team ni Duterte ng indefinite adjournment ng confirmation of charges hearing na nakatakda sa Setyembre 23, na sinasabing hindi karapat-dapat ang dating Pangulo na humarap sa paglilitis.
Ayon sa defense team ni Duterte, “he suffers from significant cognitive deficiencies that affect his memory, his daily executive functioning, his visuoconstructive abilities, and his orientation to place and time while, simultaneously, limiting his capacity for complex reasoning.”
“Even with medical or psychiatric intervention, Mr. Duterte’s condition is expected to remain static or, sadly, to deteriorate even further,” sabi ng kanyang mga abogado sa kanilang kahilingan.
“[T]he Defence respectfully requests the Chamber to ORDER that all legal proceedings, including the hearing on the confirmation of charges, be adjourned indefinitely,” dagdag nila.
Gayunpaman, sinabi ng Rise Up ang pahayag ng defense team “contradicts the public pronouncement of Duterte’s own daughter, Veronica ‘Kitty’ Duterte,” na nagsabi sa isang panayam sa The Hague, Netherlands, noong Setyembre 9 na “for an 80 year old, he (Duterte) is pretty strong.”
Napansin din ng grupo na ang apo ni Duterte, si Davao Rep. Omar Duterte, ay nagsabi sa isa pang panayam noong Setyembre 11 sa The Hague na ang dating pangulo ay “really fit. He’s okay. It’s just that, being 80 years old, he is not that healthy. He’s in a very fragile state.”
“Previously, his children visiting him at The Hague also assured the public that their father is healthy,” saad ng Rise Up.
Ayon sa grupo, ang pag-angkin sa dating Pangulo na hindi karapat-dapat na humarap sa paglilitis ay “one among many tactics” ng kampo ni Duterte na ipagpaliban ang mga paglilitis.
“The Duterte camp never runs out of antics. They are exploiting all the legal remedies to prevent a trial: from questioning the ICC jurisdiction to requesting indefinite adjournment and interim release. All these legal challenges must not be allowed to hinder our fight for justice,” sabi ng Rise Up.
Sinabi ng grupo na “continue standing with us, the victims, as we face all the legal challenges hurled by the Dutertes,” na binigyang-diin na ang confirmation of charges hearing ay kailangang matuloy “as soon as possible.”
“We look to the ICC as the court of last resort. We have waited and suffered long enough. We cannot, and will not, give up now,” saad ni Pasco. RNT/MND
