ICC CRYPTIC MESSAGE: THE STONES WILL CRY OUT

“Be man enough. Just tell us the real score.”

Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa’s statement above grabbed recently the local newspapers’ headlines that challenged President Bongbong Marcos (PBBM) to tell the truth about whether he had already allowed the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the war on drugs here in the Philippines. Interviewed by Karen Davila in ANC Digital to clarify his public statements, Bato explains:

“From the very start, Karen, I have categorically stated that I am very confident… I really trust the President. Sinabi niya sa akin yon, one-on-one, nag-usap kami, nagtiwala ako. Ako lang, just to erase the doubts… iba yong sinabi ng Pangulo, iba yong nangyayari sa ground. Tila may pagbabago yong stand nila, yong statements coming from the OSG, coming from other people, tila they are softening up or opening up the door to the ICC. So yon nga, marami pang mga marites… like mga bleeding hearts na palaging nagpafollow-up niyan.

“So, in order to shut down all these speculations, I challenged the President, pero with the premise, sabi ko nga, kung tutoo man yong sinasabi, ni former Senator Antonio Trillanes, na lalabas na yong warrant of arrest against us, then I hope that Malacañang would kindly inform us the real score, and that  please, be man enough, to tell us that na hindi na nyo kinaya ang ICC at nakapasok sila dito at nag-imbestiga at wala na kayong magawa. Please tell us, because citizen Duterte and citizen Bato are Filipinos. We are your constituents, Mr. President. So, please tell us so we will know what to do.”

“Pero, Senator, magkatapatan po tayo. May kinakatakutan po ba kayo sa ICC? Sa tutoo lang.”

“Karen, ikaw, hindi ka ba takot na mapasok sa kulongan?”

“May nagawa ba kayong... naniniwala kayong…” Davila asks.

Ibang istorya yan… Huwag natin pag-usapan yan… Bato answers.

FEAR

The innate emotion we can make out from Bato’s account is Fear of the Truth. When former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV dropped the “bombshell” about ICC’s having gathered enough evidence against former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (FPRRD) and a warrant of arrest may be issued “very, very soon,” such a statement undoubtedly implies that, as FPRRD’s drug war enforcer, Bato’s getting the same warrant will tag along behind.

Shortly, local newspapers bannered Bato’s reaction: “I am afraid of going to jail.” He discloses, “Takot ako na makulong dahil kawawa ang mga apo ko at hindi ko na makikita.”

Piece by piece, Bato is now watching his immovable wall slowly collapse. We recall that FPRRD during his reign erected that wall. No less than The New York Times bannered in 2019 FPRRD’s self-protective act: Philippines Officially Leaves the International Criminal Court.

The first piece from that wall crumbled after the UniTeam had imploded. With FPRRD being out of power, Bato has been looking forward to PBBM holding on to FPRRD’s resolve to keep up the wall, clinging on to PBBM’s “solid as rock” assurance that ICC cannot set foot in the country.

That was two months ago at a dinner PBBM hosted for senators in Malacañang. Today, here’s PBBM’s stance: “[ICC] can come and visit the Philippines.” Whatever “pero” comes after that sentence is as plain as the nose on Bato’s face to be just “pampalubag loob.”

Understandably, PBBM, in light of his blurry, if not myopic presidential prior vision of restoring the legacy of his father and his family, knows full well what is now hanging by a thread in his presidency -- his standing as a Philippine leader on the world stage. The payoff in the form of iffy “pledges” rather than real direct investments he brought home from his globe-trotting trips speaks volumes of the world’s cold-shouldering to his publicity spree.

The seemingly small but terrible Coldplay recent rebound has rubbed salt in the wound.

PBBM ALBATROSS

I wrote in my past ATABAY article International Criminal Court: PBBM’s Albatross the following implications of PBBM’s refusal to cooperate with ICC’s ongoing investigation:

Social

1.    Impunity. It sends this message: Impunity is granted to perpetrators of crimes against humanity demoralizing victims and emboldening other leaders to commit the same crimes.

2.    Tension and Conflict. It could intensify.

3.    Human Rights Violations. It could lead to arbitrary detention, or extrajudicial killings of witnesses, victims, or those suspected of assisting the ICC.

Political

1.    International Isolation. It could lose support from other countries.

2.    Diplomatic Repercussions. It could harm PH’s reputation on the world stage hampering cooperative work with other countries and international organizations shackling future agreements and negotiations.

3.    Domestic Instability. It could incite internal unrest, if the public pulse for ICC investigation turns into nationwide advocacy.

Economic

1.    Reduced Foreign Investment. It could lead to a reduction in foreign investment due to investors’ uneasiness in PH with perceived poor human rights record and economic instability.

2.    Economic Sanctions. It could lead to economic sanctions – harming PH’s economy by reducing investment and access to capital.

3.    Damage to International Trade Relations. It could harm PH’s trade relations with other countries leading to reduced exports and distress to local industries. Exhibit A. EU Parliament To PH: Act-On Human Rights Abuses Or Lose GSP+ Perks (Rappler)

TRUTH

Let us go back to Bato’s Fear of the Truth and zero in on Truth. In my ATABAY article Easter Letter To My Atheist Friend, I tackled a universal question (highlighted by author Philip Yancey in his book Disappointment With God): “Why doesn’t He intervene?” and a national “bleeding hearts” question (as Bato sneered in the above interview): “In Kian’s case [and thousands of similar cases], haven’t we felt in our bones the International Criminal Court as His intervention?”

Lately, seeing through the epiphanic eyes of those “bleeding hearts,” I was scrolling down my computer screen when I saw a post by Jingjing, an FB friend, of a strange photo that have been floating around in the internet of a pile of stones with a lead question: “Can you figure out what it says?” (You may look at the head photo of this article and try to figure it out yourself.) The post got lots of answers, one of which said, “Jing, it gives me a headache.”

That’s true because it’s an optical illusion that plays tricks on one’s vision.

CRYPTIC MESSAGE

Have you figured out the cryptic message? Some viewers of the post got it: “The stones will cry out.”

Besides the serendipity of stone to mean in our native tongue “bato,” which happens to be the Senator’s popular moniker, what does this message have to do with this article? A great deal, spiritually speaking. The message was taken from the Bible (Luke 19:40): “I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out.”

Right away, have you thought about the phrase “if they [drug war victims] were to keep silent” as much the same as Bato saying, “Huwag natin pag-usapan yan” or PBBM saying, “The Philippine government will not lift a finger to help any investigation that the ICC conducts”?

Now, let’s look into the cryptic message “The stones will cry out.” It was the words of Jesus who also has claimed to be the Truth. There are lots of layers of meaning in such a message. Putting them together, they convey this core belief: The Truth will stand on its divine authority whether Bato or anyone else accepts it or not. Simply put in topical expression: Truth will prevail.

WARNING

After proclaiming such a message, then seeing the city, Jesus wept and said, “If only today you knew the ways of peace! But now your eyes are held from seeing.” (Luke 19:42) Down the road, Jesus prophesied, “And they will dash you to the ground and your children with you, and leave not a stone within you, for you did not recognize the time and the visitation of your God.” (Luke 19: 44)

For lack of space and wanting of knowledge, I will not delve into the exegesis of Jesus’ prophecy. But here’s the crux of the matter. The real Fear that Bato has to grapple with in his immovable wall is the irresistible force -- the implications to his life and the lives of his fellow perpetrators today of the Truth of Jesus' prophecy.

If Senator Bato truly loves his “apos,” then he must tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Then he will know the Truth, and the Truth will set him free. (John 8:32)

Head photo courtesy of Facebook

Video clips courtesy of YouTube