FORMER President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s lead defense lawyer in his case at the International Criminal Court (ICC) is claiming that the real prosecutor in the case is President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.
Oh, that’s it? PBBM is a lawyer, not an undergraduate? And he has a sideline work as a prosecutor at the ICC? Well, in cases where the defendant in a case is not comfortable with the prosecuting attorney, what is the remedy?
Of course, defense counsel Nicolas Kaufman can always petition the ICC to change the prosecutor. But does the ICC the jurisdiction over “Prosecutor” BBM? There is no doubt that the said international court has none. But it can possibly coordinate with the Filipinos who are willing to do the necessary to remove the former President’s “prosecutor.”
The ICC, however, certainly knows its boundaries.
Levity aside, we think lawyer Kaufman is already getting into the realm of Philippine politics. Our take on his actuation is that it would be to the advantage of his client, FPRRD, if he’d just concentrate on studying how to defend the former President instead of besmirching the integrity of the ICC.
And how is he destroying the reputation of the international court? Well, by simply insinuating it is allowing itself to be influenced by the incumbent Philippine President.
The Kaufman allusion, though, could be similar to a scheme normally used by basketball coaches. That is, the best defense strategy is by employing offense.
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What is the difference between a police officer and an ordinary civilian when they become suspects in a criminal case?
Well, a civilian suspect is normally named even before he or she is apprehended. And once arrested, the suspect is usually immediately thrown into a cell.
A police officer suspected like the one allegedly involved in the shooting-to-death of a woman in Davao City a few days ago, remains unnamed despite his reported surrender to the authorities.
Well, shenanigans in the police organization seem to have all the luck in life. They not only have the opportunity to make fortunes on the “side,” they also enjoy the privilege of dodging the public’s scrutiny when they commit crimes. And that exactly is the case of the policeman suspect in the death of the businesswoman.
What irony there is in cases like these? The policemen, whose mandate is to protect the people, are ensuring that they are the first to be protected
This incident brings to mind the case of that woman model who was shot dead in front of her residence some three years back. The suspected mastermind, who was a ranking member of the Philippine Army, was named immediately.
Well, it may be because he was not a police officer but a member of the military. His “privileges” may not include the ones given to policemen.
But certainly, the Army has its own set of privileges that the said Army officer may be enjoying now. By the way, what happened to the criminal cases against an Army officer – a General? We haven’t heard any report on the status of those cases.
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While there are captions on pictures posted on social media that we normally abhor, there are a few that we also enjoy as we make our own interpretation of the sentence or just phrases.
For example, the recent post on VP Sara’s media interview, where she said she wants her impeachment to proceed. She crafted a word that eventually made people grasp for meaning. The word? “Bloodbath.” It was what the VP wanted to describe that could happen during the impeachment trial.
The word immediately resulted in anticipation by those who are supporting the cause of the Vice President. But some netizens, despite knowing that “bloodbath” is just a figure of speech, were quick to craft their own word rhymes that of Sara’s. The word? “Floodbath,” apparently a jab at the Dutertes’ long-promised solution to the nagging flooding problem in some areas in Davao City.
Easily, the post could be attributed to those who are strongly against the Vice President and her family, who have been on top of Davao City for three decades already. But whether that particular netizen is right or not in his/her swipe, it’s up to every Davaoeño to decide.
