HEADLINES: ‘State inaction led to ICC involvement’

Good day. Here are the top stories for The Manila Times on Wednesday, April 9, 2025.

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READ: ‘State inaction led to ICC involvement’

THE International Criminal Court (ICC) acted as a necessary complement to the Philippines’ justice system due to the absence of credible domestic investigations into the thousands of killings committed during former president Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, a Filipino human rights lawyer accredited by the ICC said. Amid heated public debate surrounding the ICC’s arrest of Duterte, one key aspect of international legal procedure has been largely overlooked: the doctrine of inaction, lawyer Gilbert Andres said. Andres described this as a frequently misunderstood but fundamental principle that underpins the court’s authority to intervene — contrary to the argument that the Philippines has a “functioning judicial system” and lacks civil unrest. He said this preliminary question comes before any assessment of whether a country is “unwilling or unable” to prosecute such crimes — a standard laid out in Article 17 of the Rome Statute. This lack of state action is legally consequential. Andres said that since the Philippines has failed to exercise its primary responsibility to investigate and prosecute, the ICC’s intervention becomes not only justified but essential — stepping in to fill what would otherwise be a dangerous impunity gap. He emphasized that the ICC’s principle of complementarity — often misrepresented in public discourse as an infringement on national sovereignty — is actually a safeguard against impunity. It ensures that international crimes do not go unpunished when national systems fail or refuse to act.

READ: Associate counsel joins Duterte team

THE International Criminal Court (ICC) has appointed French attorney Dov Jacobs as associate counsel for former president Rodrigo Duterte, who stands accused of crimes against humanity before the tribunal. The ICC Registry confirmed the appointment in an official notification issued on Tuesday, marking a pivotal step in the high-profile proceedings. The decision follows a formal request submitted on April 2, 2025, by Duterte’s lead defense counsel, Nicholas Kaufman, seeking Jacobs’ inclusion in the legal team. The ICC Registry granted approval the following day, citing Jacobs’ adherence to the Court’s Code of Professional Conduct. As associate counsel, Jacobs will provide legal advisory support, conduct in-depth research, draft critical defense documents, and assist in courtroom proceedings. With 15 years of experience in international criminal law, human rights, and transitional justice, Jacobs brings a wealth of expertise to Duterte’s defense. He currently serves as assistant professor of Public International Law at Leiden University and holds guest professorships at prestigious institutions, including Sciences Po (Paris) and Université de Lille.

READ: Sia gets show cause order for lewd joke

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has issued a show cause order against Pasig City representative candidate Christian Sia for alleged violation of campaigning guidelines. During a campaign rally on April 3, Sia, a lawyer, said in jest that single mothers can sleep with him once a year. The Comelec Task Force on Safeguarding Against Fear and Exclusion in Elections (Task Force SAFE) gave Sia three days to explain why charges should not be filed against him. The lewd joke drew backlash from netizens, particularly women’s rights advocates and legal groups. It prompted Sia to issue a public apology for the act, saying it would not happen again. Meanwhile, Shamcey Supsup-Lee, a former beauty queen and Sia’s fellow candidate in Team KAYA, announced her withdrawal from the opposition slate because of the incident.

READ: QC candidates accused of vote buying

THE head of the Quezon City Against Corruption (QCAC) on Tuesday filed charges before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) against a candidate running for Congress and two others running for councilor for alleged vote buying and vote selling. QCAC founder and chairman Janno Orate accused Jesus Suntay, who is running for congressman in the city’s fourth district; and nephew, Miguel Suntay; and Emmanuel Del Mundo, both running for councilors in the same district of violating the Omnibus Election Code. In a press conference, Orate said he filed the complaints against the three after a credible witness approached him and told him about a networking scheme called Ako@Walo in which supporters had to recruit four household leaders and eight people under them, who would also recruit eight other people under them in a pyramid style, to vote the respondents.After attending an orientation, the witness said he saw the respondents at the Ako@Walo event inside the Bahay Serbisyo campaign headquarters on Panay Avenue, Barangay Paligsahan, Quezon City. Orate said the networking scheme by the respondents constitutes vote buying. The complainants were confident that the poll body would act on their complaints with dispatch saying they have a credible witness who could pin the respondents down. At the same time, they asked the Comelec to grant their witness a “transactional immunity” to protect him from any harassment. The Manila Times tried to reach Suntay, but he has remained silent on Orate’s complaint.

Topping Business

READ: Jobless rate drops to 3.8% in February

THE country’s jobs situation improved in February, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Tuesday, with unemployment falling to 3.8 percent from 4.3 percent at the start of the year. The result — the lowest since December’s 3.1 percent but higher than the year-earlier 3.5 percent — was equivalent to 1.94 million Filipinos without jobs, 228,000 lower than January’s 2.16 million but 141,000 higher than the year-ago 1.8 million. National Statistician and PSA chief Claire Dennis Mapa said the accommodation and food service sector provided the biggest boost by adding around 377,000 jobs ahead of the summer season, and that preparations for the midterm elections also helped create more job opportunities for Filipinos.

In Sports

READ: Meralco, SMB clash in PBA 50th anniversary game

DEFENDING champion Meralco and San Miguel Beer (SMB) collide to mark the PBA’s 50th anniversary celebration on Wednesday in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. The anniversary games will have the Bolts and the Beermen tangle at 7:30 p.m., following the match in the 5 p.m. curtain raiser between Magnolia and Converge. The Bolts will be staking their immaculate 2-0 record against the Beermen (1-0), in a game where both squads will wear retro jerseys to celebrate the pro league’s 50th anniversary. Both squads have a rich basketball tradition that dates to the pre-PBA days, or back when Meralco and San Miguel played in the old Manila Industrial Commercial Athletic Association (Micaa). San Miguel eventually joined the PBA, Asia’s first ever play-for-pay professional league, which officially played its first game on April 9, 1975. Thirty-five years after, Meralco joined the PBA in 2010 after purchasing the Sta. Lucia Realty franchise. Meralco won the Philippine Cup, marking its first title as a franchise last season after vanquishing San Miguel, 4-2, in the Finals. The Beermen though are on a revenge tour this conference after missing the playoff bus in the Commissioner’s Cup.

READ: Eala rises to career-best 73rd in WTA

FILIPINO tennis ace Alex Eala improved from 75th to a career-best 73rd in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings. This is likely because players ahead of Eala lost points and dropped in the rankings, pushing the Philippine pride a little higher in the process. Prior to her latest ascent in the rankings, Eala leaped from 140th to 75th after a historic run in the recently concluded Miami Open, where she defeated three Grand Slam winners to reach the semifinals. She became the first Filipino netter to have topped three Grand Slam champs in a single tournament and went that deep in the competition. Eala will next compete at the Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal from April 14-20 and the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain from April 22 to May 4.

READ: Kings score crucial win over Pistons

DETROIT — Zach LaVine scored 43 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, and DeMar DeRozan added 37 as the Sacramento Kings rallied for a 127-117 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) to strengthen their bid for a first-round home game in the play-in tournament. Domantas Sabonis had 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for the Kings, who have won three straight and have a one-game lead over Dallas for ninth in the Western Conference. Cade Cunningham scored 35 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 19 for Detroit, which has lost four of its last five games.

READ: Opinion

In its editorial today, the Times chides the Supreme Court for being deaf on political dynasties. Read the full version on print and digital or listen to the Voice of the Times. Francisco Tatad and Marlen Ronquillo are the featured columnists on the front page. Tatad asks what if the ICC fails; Ronquillo on widespread hunger, agri bust and the reign of oligarchy.

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