The Philippines’ rejoining the International Criminal Court (ICC) has triggered opposing views from leaders of the House of Representatives.
“The decision is more than me, but if I were to decide, it would be proper to go back to ICC. That’s just me. Why? Well, mas malaki po yung saklaw (It has a wider coverage). There’s a bigger range of accountability,” Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V told reporters on International Human Rights Day on Tuesday, December 10.
“We just celebrated International Human Rights Day. Wala naman po ako nakikita na rason kung bakit hindi. Kasi kung wala ka namang problema with your courts, we’re fine. And again, we are a founding member. So, for me, I don’t see any issue if we decide that we should go back or be a member again of the ICC,” Ortega added.
(I cannot see any reason why we should not rejoin. Because if our domestic courts are functioning, we’re fine.)
Ortega also said the Philippines is not yielding its sovereignty with its return to the ICC.
“That is not the case here. ICC is a court, and there is a process. It is not as if every time there is a problem, we will resort to ICC at first instance,” Ortega added.
Batangas Representative Gerville Luistro earlier said that the Philippines’ pullout from the ICC in March 2018 was “devastating.”
Luistro said there must be a court of last resort that will complement domestic courts as well as investigate and, where warranted, try individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community, namely: genocide; war crimes; crimes against humanity; and the crime of aggression.
“The decision to depart from the Rome Statute in 2019 was a devastating decision: it sent the wrong message to the international community that we were unwilling to uphold the protection and promotion of human rights, which should be inherent to every individual, and displayed the fragility of our democratic institutions,” she said.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Ace Barbers, one of the panel heads of the QuadComm investigating the deaths allegedly linked to the Duterte administration’s drug war, said he would heed the decision of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“As for myself, I will follow the wisdom of the President since it is the Chief Executive’s decision. But whatever it is, it will not change the course of the investigation of the QuadComm,” Barbers told reporters.
Deputy Majority Leader Erwin Tulfo of ACT-CIS party-list said he wanted to study the grounds for going back to the ICC.
“We really have to look at the grounds why we should rejoin. What is the reason? The United States is a democratic country and they are not a member of the ICC. Is there any benefit for us if we rejoin the ICC? What are the cons?” Tulfo said.
The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute which established the ICC in March 2018 when Duterte was still president. The withdrawal took effect a year later.
In withdrawing from the ICC, then president Duterte cited “baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks” against him and his administration and the alleged attempt of the ICC prosecutor to place him under the tribunal’s jurisdiction amid accusations of state-sanctioned killings being linked to his war on drugs.
Duterte also said that the Rome Statute is not enforceable in the Philippines because it was not published in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Last month, the ICC urged individuals with knowledge of crimes committed during the Duterte administration’s controversial war on drugs to reach out to the Hague-based tribunal.
In a public notice released in both Filipino and English, the ICC called on potential witnesses to share information about alleged crimes against humanity—including killings, torture, and sexual violence—that occurred between June 2016 and March 2019.
The court has launched a website where interested witnesses may provide information anonymously.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
