Militants denounce deportation of activist

A MILITANT leftist group denounced yesterday’s deportation of a European activist whom they invited to their event scheduled at the Capitol Social Hall today.

Akbayan International Secretary Rafaela David said Giacomo Filibeck, deputy secretary general of the Party of European Socialists, was held at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) prior to being deported.

David said they were told by the Bureau of Immigration that Filibeck was blacklisted and thus was not allowed entry into the country.

“He (Filibeck) knew that he was blacklisted because he denounced the Duterte administration’s war on drugs during a mission here in the country last October,” Akbayan Youth Chairperson Justine Balane said.

Former Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chairperson Loretta Rosales who was also invited to attend the Akbayan event, said she was disappointed by Filibeck’s deportation.

“It’s very unfortunate. We’re a democratic country, we may agree and disagree,” she said.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier threatened to have an International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor arrested if she sets foot in the country to investigate his administration’s war on drugs.

The ICC said it will conduct preliminary investigations into the administration’s anti-drug campaign in response to a petition filed by two Filipino lawyers.

The President then announced the country’s withdrawal from the ICC.  with an Inquirer report