Palace: No discussion on PH rejoining ICC

A day after the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte on allegations of crimes against humanity, Malacañang said there has been no discussion about the Philippines rejoining the International Criminal Court.

''There is no discussion on that,'' Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said at a press briefing Wednesday.

The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, in 2019 after The Hague-based tribunal began a probe into the Duterte administration's drug war.

On Tuesday, a warrant of arrest from the ICC was served to the former president for crimes against humanity.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said Interpol Manila received an official copy of the ICC warrant hours before Duterte's arrival from Hong Kong.

The President said the arrest was done "because Interpol asked us to do it and we have commitments." Marcos insisted that the arrest was proper and correct, wherein "every single necessary procedure" was followed.

Castro was also asked if the local courts in the Philippines are still ''working'' amid the argument that the ICC can only intervene if the local justice system no longer works.

''Of course, it's still working pero sa pagkakataong ito, sa panahon ni dating Pangulong Duterte, hindi natin alam. Kaya nga nagkaroon ng hearing, nagkaroon ng pagfile ng complaints sa ICC,'' Castro said.

(Of course, it's still working but in this case, during the time of former President Duterte, we don't know. That's why there was a hearing and filing of complaints before the ICC.)

''Katulad nga ng sinabi ko, binigyan ng gobyerno ng isang taon para patunayang gumagana ang hustisya laban sa mga war on drugs ni dating Pangulong Duterte pero wala pong naisampa kaya po nagtuloy-tuloy ang imbestigasyon ng prosecution,'' she added.

(Just like what I said, a year was given to prove that the justice system was working amid the Duterte administration's drug war, however, no charges were filed so the investigation of the prosecution continued.)  — RSJ/VBL, GMA Integrated News