By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos | Philippine News Agency
The International Criminal Court (ICC) may visit the Philippines, but the government will not cooperate in the international tribunal’s investigation into the country’s war on illegal drugs, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Tuesday.
Marcos made the statement, following reports that ICC investigators were able to gather information and evidence for a possible case of crime against humanity against former President Rodrigo Duterte and other personalities linked to the drug war of the previous administration.
“Let me say this for the 100th time. I do not recognize the jurisdiction of ICC in the Philippines. I consider this as a threat to our sovereignty. Therefore, the Philippine government will not lift a finger to help any investigation that the ICC conducts,” President Marcos said in a media interview on the sidelines of an event in Quezon City.
“However, as ordinary people, they can come and visit the Philippines, pero hindi kami tutulong sa kanila,” Marcos added.
Marcos said the government is keeping an eye on the ICC to make sure that it would “not come into contact with any agency of government.”
He added that he has already instructed all government offices, including law enforcement agencies and local government units, to evade any queries of the ICC, in case it tries to contact them.
“We do not recognize your jurisdiction. Therefore, we will not assist in any way, shape, or form, in any investigation that the ICC is doing in the Philippines,” Marcos said.
In a forum in Quezon City on Sunday, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV said he anticipates the issuance of a warrant of arrest against Duterte and other respondents in the ICC’s investigation into the war on drugs launched by Marcos’ predecessor.
Trillanes cited an “inside information” that ICC investigators allegedly visited the country in December last year and were able to interview and complete gathering information on Duterte and other individuals involved in the drug war.
In July last year, Marcos said the Philippine government would no longer get in touch with the ICC after rejecting its plea to suspend its investigation into Duterte’s anti-narcotics campaign.
The Philippines formally cut ties with the ICC on March 17, 2019.
