MANILA — The decision of the Philippine government to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) cannot be cured by a petition made by opposition lawmakers, a Palace official said Wednesday.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made this remark after opposition senators filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to declare the country’s withdrawal from the ICC as “invalid or “ineffective” without concurrence of at least two-thirds of the Senate.
The petition for certiorari and mandamus was signed by Senators Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, Leila de Lima, Franklin Drilon, Risa Hontiveros, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, and Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV on Wednesday.
Roque, however, described the petition as having “no legal basis.”
“I do not think there is any legal basis. The president remains the chief architect of foreign policy and this is not a matter that can be cured by certiorari,” Roque said.
Roque explained that the courts will “always defer to the executive on matters of foreign affairs.”
“Palagi sinasabi ng Korte Sumprema (The Supreme Court always says that) the executive remains the chief architect of foreign policy and cannot be subject of certiorari,” he added. (PNA)
