A big mistake by Marcos

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has committed a number of mista es in the first year of his presidency, ut fe can e considered igger than his pronounce ent over the ee end that he ill not cooperate ith the International Criminal Court.

he ICC is see ing to pursue its investigation of the e tra udicial illings that too place during the ter of his predecessor, odrigo uterte arcos uses the sa e ustification as several other past and present govern ent officials ho insist that the Philippines has a fully functioning udicial syste As such, there is no need for any outside party to pass udge ent on the for er president along ith his officials ho ade the illing of suspected drug addicts and users practically a govern ent policy orst of all, arcos chooses to turn a lind eye to the tens of thousands of fa ilies ho lost their loved ones to the rutality of the uterte regi e ith his declaration, those fa ilies can never hope to find ustice et r arcos still e pects foreign invest ents in the illions of dollars to pour into the country hy in od s na e, e as , ould any a or investor plun oney into the Philippines hen countless ilipinos are deprived of true ustice If and hen those invest ents run into legal pro le , here can they turn to here is an old saying that is apt at this point hose ho are not guilty have nothing to hide ast ee , an e -president also too a a or step in a ing sure that odrigo uterte is a le to spend the re ainder of his days free fro arrest loria acapagal Arroyo is as ing the ouse of epresentatives to ta e all possi le easures to assure uterte s safety, and in so doing is saying to hell ith the victi s and the fa ilies of the for er president s e tra- udicial illings

Certainly not a ustice syste that allo s a for er president to get a ay ith mass murder.

Clearly, the po erful politicians are saying that they should e udged y a different set of rules fro the ordinary ilipinos

Proof if this is staring everyone in the face

Consider that for er first lady I elda arcos has een convicted for her latant isuse of govern ent funds, ut has not spent even a single inute inside prison

Consider that the incu ent president hi self has also een convicted of failing to pay his ta es ust as Ponce- nrile, ho as also party to that rutal and illegiti ate regi e

Consider that this incu ent president s o n special counsel, -year-old uan Ponce nrile, as allo ed y the court to go scot-free, not only for his role in the ulti- illion peso coco levy fund, ut also for eing party to the e ually large-scale Priority evelop ent Assistance und sca here is no dou t that the Philippine udicial syste is seriously da aged, that ordinary people can never find ustice hen they go against the rich and the po erful.

In refusing to allo the ICC to conduct an investigation, this arcos regi e is sho ing the orld that an international court sanctioned y the nited ations is not allo ed to give hope to ilipinos victi i ed y their o n govern ent his President arcos sho s he is as indi erent to the su ering of his people as past presidents uterte, acapagal-Arroyo, rap strada and ost of all his father and na esa e, erdinand dralin arcos, ho declared artial la under false pretense.