Former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief retired General Oscar Albayalde may find himself in teething troubles, between the devil and the deep blue sea, so to say the least. His blue posters, after all, are all over Angeles City already even without officially declaring anything.
He is reportedly eyeing a political seat as a local chief executive of the highly urbanized and independent city.
But the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) tagged Albayalde and four other former and current PNP officials as suspects in the country’s controversial war on drugs. Tagged with him are former PNP chief Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, General Romeo Caramat Jr., Edilberto Leonardo, and Eleazar Mata.
The OTP has cited “reasonable grounds to believe” that they may have committed crimes within its jurisdiction in the brutal anti-drug campaign launched under former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The ICC investigation could cast a long shadow over Albayalde’s political ambition. His association with Duterte’s drug war and his potential electoral challenge against a prominent political family could complicate his campaign significantly. The inclusion of his name would definitely hurt his campaign. His name right beside dela Rosa makes it a travesty.
This could also raise questions on the intersection of international justice and local politics. But the ICC’s investigation is not just a legal matter. For Albayalde, the outcome leads to a crossroad being that the ICC’s findings will be critical, the political effect may already be shaping the local electoral landscape.
If the ICC investigation progresses, it will also highlight the accountability of state forces in what most of us deemed as state-sanctioned violence. It may even set a precedent on how international bodies affect local politics. And that we have yet to see.