WATCH: PH Senator Jinggoy Estrada calls ICC reps ‘puting unggoy’

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Jinggoy Estrada resorted to name-calling the representatives of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as they resumed investigation into former president Rodrigo Duterte’s violent war on drugs.

In a privilege speech delivered on Wednesday, February 22, Estrada called personnel of the ICC “puting unggoy” (white monkeys) who should not be allowed to enter the Philippines. 

“Kung sino man ang pinapapunta ng ICC dito sa ating bansa, kung sino mang Poncio Pilato prosecutor, itong mga puting unggoy na ito, hindi na dapat papasukin pa sa ating bansa because that will be an exercise in futility,” the senator said. 

(Whoever the ICC is sending here, this Pontius Pilate prosecutor, these white monkeys, they should not be allowed to enter because that will be an exercise in futility.)

 “I am confident that the Department of Justice is not remiss in its primary mission to uphold the rule of law. We should trust the justice system,” Estrada added. 

The ICC’s pre-trial chamber earlier allowed Prosecutor Karim Khan to resume his investigation into the drug war, which left thousands of Filipinos dead.

Government data shows that at least 6,252 individuals were killed in police anti-illegal drug operations alone, as of May 2022, a month before Duterte left the presidency. This number does not include those killed vigilante-style, which human rights groups estimate to be between 27,000 and 30,000. 

Several lawmakers filed resolutions urging Congress to declare “unequivocal defense” of Duterte. Estrada himself filed a resolution asking the Senate to oppose any investigation conducted by the ICC. – Rappler.com