Phil gov’t to withdraw from ICC, Roque says court "venue for destablization"

Presidential spokesman, Harry Roque, photo from GMA News

The Philippine government is on its verge and is near withdrawing from its membership in the International Criminal Court, and the Presidential spokesman has alleged that the court is being used by the opposition.

Harry Roque said that the court is becoming a venue for destabilization against President Rodrigo Duterte.



This despite strong calls on the ICC to investigate President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs.

Speaking at the 16th Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Roque said the ICC should be a “court of last resort.”

The speaker said that  the country has laws and a “functioning criminal justice system” to deal with crimes committed within its territory.

“The Philippines, along with the rest of the States Parties, anchored its consent to be bound by the Rome Statute on the principle of complementarity,” Roque said.

“A violation of the very basis for our consent — which is complementarity — will constrain us to reassess our continuing commitment to the Court and the Rome Statute,” he added.



He likewise urged the ICC to “resist” any attempts to use the court as a political tool to destabilize governments.

“We urge the Court to resist attempts by some sectors to treat the Court as a venue to pursue political agenda to destabilize governments and undermine legitimate national authorities. It is indeed actions like these that politicize and dilute the Court’s mandate which ultimately undermine national efforts to punish and prosecute crimes covered by the Statute,” he said.

It can be noted that opposition leaders Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano filed a supplemental communication against Duterte and other officials before the ICC for the country's bloody drug war.

It was a supplement to the communication filed by lawyer Jude Josue Sabio last April 24, titled "The Situation of Mass Murder in the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte: Mass Murderer.”

It can be recalled as well that the President himself has expressed his intent to leave the "useless" ICC.

This came after the ICC's chief prosecutor warned that Philippine officials could face the court for alleged state-sponsored summary executions in the drug war.

Source: philstar.com

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