By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. remains firm on his position that the Philippines will not rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC) for now, Malacañang said Wednesday.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro made the statement after United States (US) President Donald Trump urged ICC member-states to immediately withdraw from the international tribunal.
“Hindi pa po napapanahon ang pag-rejoin sa ICC sa ngayon (Rejoining the ICC is not yet timely at this point),” Castro told reporters.
During his address at the 81st United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump called the ICC a “rogue institution” run by an “evil group of people.”
Castro said the Palace respects Trump’s call, but stressed that Marcos’ position on the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC remains unchanged.
“Kung ano po iyong kanyang nasabi before, patungkol sa pagre-rejoin sa ICC, hanggang sa ngayon ay ‘yun pa rin po ang stance ng ating Pangulo (Whatever he said regarding rejoining the ICC remains his stance up to now),” she said.
Castro reiterated that the Philippines has informed the US of its position and situation concerning the ICC’s scheduled trial of former president Rodrigo Duterte over alleged crimes against humanity linked to his administration’s drug campaign.
Asked how the latest developments could affect the ICC’s handling of Duterte’s case, Castro expressed confidence that there would be “no effect.”
“Sa atin po, nakikita sa ngayon, pangkalahatan naman, ay nakikita natin ‘yung umuusad ang hearing sa nasabing kaso ni dating Pangulong Duterte (From our perspective, generally speaking, we see that the hearings in the case involving former president Duterte are progressing),” she said.
“So, ang mga complainants, ang mga abogado, ang mga prosecutors, kahit naman po ang depensa, ay nakikita po natin na iginagalang nila ang umaandar na paghi-hearing, paglilitis sa nasabing kaso na kinakaharap ni dating Pangulong Duterte (We see that the complainants, the lawyers, the prosecutors, and even the defense are respecting the ongoing hearings and proceedings in the case involving former president Duterte),” Castro added.
The Philippines formally withdrew from the ICC on March 17, 2019, a year after then-president Duterte announced the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the tribunal.
In March 2018, Duterte ordered the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute following the ICC prosecutor’s preliminary examination into alleged crimes committed during his administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.
Duterte, who is currently detained at the ICC Detention Centre in The Hague, Netherlands, is facing charges of crimes against humanity allegedly committed in connection with his drug war between Nov. 1, 2011 and March 16, 2019.