It takes real guts not just to stand up to a former colonial master but also walk away from its comfy embrace. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte did just that. By withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC), he led Filipinos in demonstrating that they are willing to leave their comfy parents’ nest and fly off to face the world independently and on their terms. That, after all, is what true independence means — not the sort of “independence” generations have been led to believe they had since 1946.
If the current Philippine Opposition under the Liberal Party (a.k.a. the Yellowtard) leadership had their way, they’d continue to make the Philippine government subordinate to a “criminal court” based on the other side of the world. This is because, for the Yellowtards, being “decent” involves kowtowing to the liberal ideals of a part of the world that once ruled the entire planet.
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It is no secret that Filipinos have had a spotty relationship with “democracy” to begin with. History is replete with evidence that Western notions of “freedom” and the “right” to choose have not really served Filipinos well. Indeed, the current leaders of the Opposition seem to be confused themselves. Here is a popularly-elected leader who behaves consistently with the way he conducted himself during the campaign and who, on the back of the very actions and behaviour these Opposition folk detest, remains popular amongst Filipinos. That’s democracy at work, if I recall right. Popularity wins and the minority, at best, get to watch until they win back that popularity and apply it towards winning in the next election. Duterte is leading his country according to what those numbers are telling him.
To be fair, 400 years of Spanish colonial rule followed by half a century of American rule deeply-ingrained in Filipinos the notion that the path to personal success and upward social mobility lies in conforming to the social norms of European masters. One needs to look no further than the works of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels, where he highlights the rather sad way native Filipinos fell all over themselves in their efforts to ape European tradition and be seen and associated with European folk.
Opposition “thought leaders”, however, continue to find perverse validation in the rulings and presumptuous “international courts” set up in the former imperial capitals in the Western hemisphere. Perhaps old habits die hard. The Philippines has been an “independent” country on paper only since 1946. The immense historical weight of four centuries of being subject to colonial rule makes it difficult to overcome a persistent psychological dependence on colonial validation.
When will the Philippines be truly independent?
The answer, it seems, is not coming from the current crop of Opposition leaders who believe in inviting foreign intervention whenever they feel threatened by local sentiments of ordinary Filipinos beginning to dominate the discourse. For the Yellowtards, all things foreign — and Western — are necessarily more valid than the local concepts that pave the path Duterte is leading Filipinos down. That’s not independence, and it certainly is not courage. It is merely a sad unwillingness to take a risk and take this risk in solidarity as a nation. The Opposition would rather it continue sucking nutrients off an old umbilical cord to the West that keeps their minds — and their politics — pathetically stunted.
Duterte’s withdrawal from the ICC is the Philippines’ new Independence Day. The 14th of March 2018 should be marked as the date a new chapter in Filipino nationhood was opened.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Actually it’ll take a year that our country will OFFICIALLY withdrew her membership on the ICC and that will be on March 15, 2019, if President Duterte is sending his withdrawal letter to the current UN Secretary General right now through an email message. And if so what will happen to the Yellowtards who’d filed a case against him on “Crime Against Humanity” case in which they’d filled it last year, if I remembered correctly. If his case are still under investigation & no schedule yet for his trial on ICC and finally the Philippines is out on ICC membership on that date, then it’s a waste of time for the Yellowtards, unless if something a sinister plan will do to him to oust his position in the near future like assassination attempt or a military coup.
A
I would like to correct you sir!It is not yet an investigation yet!it is Only an Examination of the Case the Shits has filed in ICC!if their is substance to go ahead into Investigation…Thank you
The Philippines may be truly “independent” from international peddling brought upon by the ICC, but take into consideration that this would create huge consequences, both good and bad. What are those? It remains to be seen.
President Duterte’s, withdraing from the International Court is a bold move. However, it is the right move. The International Criminal Court is a toothless dog. It has no army or police power to arrest criminal leaders. North Korean Kim Jung Un is torturing his people. He has hundreds of thousands of political prisoners , jailed and being starved. What did the International Criminal Court do to Kim Jung Un ? The ICC did not even conduct an investigation in North Korea. The ICC did not even charge, Kim Jung Un , with “crime against humanity”.
The ICC does the investigating only to weak countries, like : Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the former Yuguslavia, after the death of Pres. Tito.
Pres. Taylor of Liberia was tried and convicted in the ICC. The late, Pres. Slobidan Milosevich of Serbia, was tried and convicted in the ICC; amidst the civil war in the former Yugoslavia.
The Aquino Cojuangco political axis tried to use the International Criminal Court, to try and convict , Pres. Duterte, for Extra Judicial Killings. This move is made by them, to put the fake and phony Vice President Leni Robredo, as President; and they will use her as a puppet , to gain back their power. They are now even using the United Nations, and other foreign entities, to help them oust Pres. Duterte.
These people will not stop, until they will regain their power.
The only way to counter their moves, is to put pressure on them on all fronts. Prosecute their crimes, from Aquino to anyone of them, who committed crimes. They committed many crimes like: the DAP, PDAF, Pork Barrel Bribery, Laglag Bala in the international Airport, Typhoon Yolanda Fund disappearance, etc…Jail all of them. We can also hang some of them.
The phony and fake Vice Presidency of Leni Robredo must go. Robredo is their hope of getting back to power. Andres Bautista, who made the COMELEC , a HOCUS PCOS entity, must not enjoy his loot. Along with people who benefited from the DAP, Pork Barrel Bribery and PDAF.
House cleaning is important in this fight against this evil Aquino Cojuangco political axis. Because, if you let these “Rats” run around. There is nothing but plans and bold moves ,to oust the duly elected Pres. Duterte, and replace him with the phony and fake Vice President Leni
Robredo. No way, but fight until they are all fully defeated.
is the ICC defending/protecting the aquinos and their yellowtards? they should also look at the hacienda luisita masaacre, the mendiola massacre, and all they the yellows have done bad to the pilipino people.
How many Asian justices sit in the “International” Criminal Court?
btw, who’s paying the ICC staffs? from whom their funds coming from?
I don’t know from the Freemasons, Illuminati or CIA? Who knows, but thankfully former Senador Miriam Santiago backed it out on ICC, six years ago to worked there as a judge but if she’s still alive today & working as an ICC judge and she’d heard this news that our country will withdrew it, then she’ll probably resign there immediately and support President Duterte. You know why? Well if you could remember on a 3rd & final presidential debate on 2016, she’d praised him than the rest of the three presidential candidates namely Roxas, Poe & Binay, and just like him, she’s a one tough politician & she’ll ready to mess her opponents. Sadly, she’s gone & she should had become a president of our country before if this situation that is happening right now like extreme drug crimes, corruption, traditional politics, oligarchy, etc. will never happen.
I personally think that we have more lawyers than any country in the world who can prosecute/defend people in court. Inviting international legal people to judge us is certainly not right. Economy we are free from US intervention, who by the way rape of our resources only to find that other countries are interested to give us economic infrastructure without strings attached except the opposition who thinks always otherwise. Politically our move towards federalism provides us with our selection of governance. All in all, our PRRD is the only leader guiding us in the correct path. We are Free ! Catholic is silenced so spiritually we are also free. Took us 72 years since 1946 independence and and 120 years to realize true independence!
The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.