SolGen: Marcos wants to stop dealing with ICC Daphne Galvez - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — “As far as the state is concerned, our engagement in any form with the ICC has come to an end with the rendition of judgment (3-2) by the ICC Appeals Chamber,” Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra told The STAR in a text message yesterday. “I called President Marcos up from Washington, D.C. I advised him about the full disengagement and he agreed,” Guevarra added. The Philippines’ appeal against the resumption of ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan’s probe was the country’s last involvement with the court, according to Guevarra. Marcos broached the idea of disengaging from the ICC as early as March this year. He said the Philippine government would not cooperate with the ICC investigation due to “very serious questions” on the court’s jurisdiction, interference and “attacks on the sovereignty” of the Philippines. In its appeal, the Philippine government argued that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines since it withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019. The ICC explained it still has jurisdiction over crimes committed before the Philippines’ withdrawal. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said on July 17 that the government will not execute arrest warrants that the ICC may issue. The ICC investigation would cover killings committed from July 1, 2016 to March 16, 2019. Also included were so-called Davao death squad murders between Nov. 1, 2011 and June 30, 2016 when Duterte was either the mayor or vice mayor of Davao City. Under the drug war, at least 6,200 people were killed in police operations based on government records. Human rights groups, however, said the actual death toll could be from 12,000 to 30,000. Imee slams ICC decision Sen. Imee Marcos has denounced the ICC’s decision to resume its probe. “They are intruding on Philippine sovereignty,” Marcos told reporters in Leyte yesterday. “For me, the ICC can enter only when our country has no more courts, and the judiciary is no longer functioning.” She reiterated that the Philippines has a “fully functioning judiciary,” so there is no reason for the ICC to interfere in the country’s internal affairs. Marcos noted that many cases have been filed against abusive law enforcers and erring military and police officials. ‘Fully cooperate’ Labor group Federation of Free Workers (FFW) called on President Marcos to “fully cooperate” with the ICC’s investigation. The 6,200 lives lost in the war on drugs, including 73 children, “necessitates a thorough and unbiased investigation,” according to the FFW. The FFW also urged Marcos to declare his policy on trade union and human rights amid the reported killings of 69 trade union leaders and other abuses committed against workers. Marcos ‘unity’ President Marcos should commit to his message of “unity” by cooperating with the ICC’s investigation and giving justice to drug war victims. “If the President really espouses ‘unity,’ meaning unity for the people and not for his tandem with the Dutertes, the President should prove that by giving justice to drug war victims,” opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros said in an interview with CNN Philippines’ “The Source.” “In the run-up to his second State of the Nation Address, the people are watching. The people are watching if he will put the country first or will he merely put his political alliance first,” Hontiveros added. Marcos on Thursday agreed to end the Philippines’ engagement with the ICC. “Disengaging even from communication is a very immature stance. It’s not a stance of a mature administration, which claims to be governing a democracy. It’s not a stance of a country that is seeking more and wider alliances in the world,” Hontiveros said. Vice President Sara Duterte is also a subject of the ICC investigation into alleged crimes against humanity, according to a report by fact-checking group VERA Files. “No comment,” Duterte said in response to the ICC ruling. ‘Politically motivated’ Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. on Thursday claimed the ICC lost its credibility by being “politically motivated.” “We will not allow this interference by the ICC in our country. We do not need to remind them that we are a free, independent, and sovereign nation governed by our laws,” he said. Revilla defended former president Duterte and Sen. Ronald dela Rosa — chief implementor of Duterte’s war on drugs — as they may be the subject of the ICC’s arrest warrants or summons. – Miriam Desacada, Mayen Jaymalin, Marc Jayson Cayabyab