Marcos urged to bring Garma tale to ICC; Palace says PH still out of tribunal

A lawyer has asked President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to submit to the International Criminal Court former police officer Royina Garma's testimony before a House inquiry on the cash rewards for killings under the Deuterte administration's war on drugs.

Lawyer Kristina Conti, who is an ICC-accredited assistant to counsel, said Monday that the ICC should take cognizance of any material and relevant information about former President Rodrigo Duterte's violent campaign against illegal drugs. 

''We urge President Marcos to submit the QuadComm investigation materials to the ICC for inclusion in the prosecution's case build-up on crimes against humanity committed in the Philippines,'' Conti said in a statement.

''Garma's testimony establishes a pattern in the killings and fingers the 'most responsible' behind all the incidents,'' she added. 

Asked to comment, Malacañang said the Philippines would maintain its position and not return to the ICC. 

''Based on this, the President is not expected to change his mind and now refer the quadcom matter to the ICC,'' Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said in a separate statement. 

Marcos has been firm in his stance that he will not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC in the Philippines. 

Duterte pulled the Philippines out of the Hague-based ICC's Rome Statute in 2018, with the withdrawal taking effect in 2019, after the tribunal began a preliminary probe into his administration's drug war.

Conti said Garma's testimony had tied up why all the ''senseless killings'' on the ground had happened and why policemen were considered ''complicit and willful participants.''

''Hers is a powerful testament to Duterte's murderous schemes, from Davao to the rest of the country, that confirms other statements made by insiders as well. It is damning evidence, and hopefully, the first of many,'' Conti said. 

Garma earlier confirmed that up to P1 million cash rewards were paid for each killing in the war on drugs waged by the Duterte administration. 

She also revealed that Duterte asked her to look for an officer who would implement the Davao model of the war on drugs on a national scale in which police were rewarded for killing drug suspects. —NB, GMA Integrated News