By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos | Philippine News Agency
Malacañang on Thursday (Manila time) refuted claims that the Marcos Jr. administration is using the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a political weapon against its political opponents.
This came after Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte alleged that the government is weaponizing the ICC to suppress and silence members of the opposition.
Duterte said he had received information from a “highly reliable source” about the ICC’s issuance of a warrant of arrest against Senator Christopher Lawrence Go.
Go is a former aide to former president Rodrigo Duterte, who has been detained at the ICC facility in The Hague, Netherlands for alleged crimes against humanity linked to his anti-drug campaign.
In an interview in Kazan, Russia, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro debunked the allegation, noting that the cases filed against Duterte and other respondents, including Go, were filed in 2017, five years before President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. assumed the presidency.
“Unang-una alam naman natin ‘yung ICC, korte ito. At meron namang kaso, may kaso na kapwa nating Pilipino ang nagsampa laban sa mga diumanong pang-aabuso patungkol sa EJK (extrajudicial killings). So, huwag natin kalimutan iyan,” Usec. Castro said.
“At kung magkakaroon man po at mag-i-issue ng valid warrant of arrest, valid pa rin po ‘yun. At meron lamang silang nais na mapanagot,” she added.
Usec. Castro noted that under Republic Act (RA) 9851, the Philippines may surrender or extradite a suspected or accused person in the Philippines to an appropriate international court or another state pursuant to applicable extradition laws and treaties.
Castro lamented that the issue related to the implementation of ICC warrants against individuals linked to the drug war of the previous administration was being used to incite division among Filipinos.
“So bakit ba lagi nating sinisisi ang korte? Sinisisi natin ng administrasyon? Huwag nating kalimutan na ‘yung kaso, nasampa ito 2017 pa. So hindi ito wine-weaponize, kinakailangan lamang po na matugunan din ang hiling ng mga kababayan natin,” she said.
“Kung may kailangan managot, dapat na managot. Kung kailangan may malinis na pangalan, malinis ang pangalan. Ang nangyayari po kasi dito, lagi na lang ginagamit itong issue na ito para pagalitin ang kapwa natin Pilipino at pag-usapan ang tungkol sa soberanya.”
Usec. Castro said the public has seen how the warrants of arrest are being implemented, citing efforts to serve a similar warrant against Senator Ronald dela Rosa, who was the country’s top police official when the anti-drug campaign was launched.
She, however, said operational matters concerning such cases are best addressed by the Department of Justice. (PNA)
