Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23) — Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday called on the House of Representatives to respect President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s decision not to cooperate with the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into her father’s drug war.
Duterte made the statement after what she described as “sudden and unannounced” joint meetings being convened by some lawmakers who are urging the government to work with the ICC.
“I respectfully remind our honorable lawmakers of the very words that our president, his excellency Ferdinand Marcos Jr., reiterated less than half a year ago: ‘Any probe conducted by the ICC would be an intrusion into our internal matters, and a threat to our sovereignty… We are done talking with the ICC,’” she said.
In July, the ICC decided to resume its long-delayed probe into the deadly drug war launched by former President Rodrigo Duterte. Its pre-trial chamber said it is not convinced that the Philippine government is “making a real or genuine effort” in its investigations.
The Marcos administration rejected the ICC’s move, saying it will consider it a crime if members of the international tribunal come to the country to investigate.
The vice president argued that to allow ICC prosecutors to probe is “not only patently unconstitutional” but also “belittles and degrades our legal institutions,” as she maintained that the Philippines has exclusive jurisdiction over the alleged crimes linked to the drug war.
“Huwag nating insultuhin at bigyan ng kahihiyan ang ating mga hukuman sa pamamagitan ng pagpapakita sa mundo na tayo ay naniniwala na mga dayuhan lang ang tanging may abilidad na magbigay ng katarungan at hustisya sa ating sariling bayan,” she said.
[Translation: Let’s not insult and bring shame to our courts by showing the whole world that we believe only foreigners have the ability to bring justice in our own country.]
An ICC prosecutor estimated that 12,000 to 30,000 civilians were killed from July 2016 to March 2019 in connection with the anti-drug campaign. These figures are much higher than government data, which reported some 6,000 deaths.
