The much belated acquittal of former Senator Leila De Lima of all the Duterte-fabricated drug charges against her does not evince that the Philippine justice system is working for all drug offenders and victims.

As long as former President Rodrigo Duterte, the principal instigator of the drug related extrajudicial killings is not indicted before the proper Philippine court, the Philippine justice system still fails to work for all the perpetrators and their victims.

Complementarity of a “working justice system” cannot be invoked by the Philippines for exemption from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in the case of the complaint for alleged crimes against humanity committed by Duterte and his principal cohorts. 

EDCEL C. LAGMAN