ICC closely following dev'ts in PH tied to Duterte drug war

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday said it was closely monitoring the latest developments related to the controversial anti-illegal drug campaign during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, which is now the subject of investigation by Philippine Congress.

"The ICC Office of the Prosecutor has an ongoing investigation in relation to the situation in the Philippines," the ICC told GMA Integrated News.

"This investigation focuses on crimes allegedly committed on the territory of the Philippines between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019 in the context of the so-called 'War on Drugs' campaign,'" the ICC said.

It added, "In this light, the Office follows developments in the Philippines closely, as to their relevance for its ongoing investigation."

In a recent hearing of the House of Representatives Quad Committee on extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration, retired police colonel Royina Garma testified that Duterte ordered the implementation of a nationwide reward system which gives bounties and compensation to policemen for killing drug suspects.

Duterte, however, has since denied Garma's claim.

The former Chief Executive later attended the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee's probe in which he admitted having a "death squad" made up not of police officers, but of individuals whom he called "gangsters."

He also told the Senate panel that he ordered cops to encourage drug suspects to fight back so they can justify killing them.

Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, one of Duterte's fiercest critics, said transcripts of the Senate hearing have been submitted to the ICC.

'Wide range of sources'

For its part, the ICC said that its investigations "are built from wide range of sources" including communications, information from States, international partners and civil society, open-source information, and the direct collection of evidence, such as interviews with witnesses.

However, the ICC said that it cannot delve much into the details of its investigation into the bloody drug war.

"With regard to questions on details of the Office's investigation, the Office does not comment on operational matters with respect to ongoing investigations. Confidentiality is a crucial aspect of the OTP's activities," the ICC said.

"This is essential not only to protect the integrity of the investigations but also to ensure the safety and security of victims, witnesses, and all those with whom the Office interacts," it said.

Government records show that there were at least 6,200 drug suspects killed in police operations from June 2016 to November 2021, but several human rights groups have refuted this and say that the number may have reached as much as 30,000 due to unreported related killings.

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.

However, a Supreme Court ruling in 2021 said that the Philippines has the obligation to cooperate with the ICC despite its withdrawal from the Rome Statute, noting that the exit does not affect criminal proceedings pertaining to acts that occurred when a country was still a state party. — VDV, GMA Integrated News