THE investigation being conducted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the Duterte administration’s illegal drugs campaign is a “mistake,” President Marcos Jr. told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during their meeting in Berlin last Wednesday, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said yesterday.
“President Marcos said ‘it is a mistake’ for the ICC to intervene in the judicial process in the Philippines since the country has a functioning judiciary and a ‘functioning military and police force that uphold the rule of law’,” the PCO said in a news release.
The President, according to the news release, stressed that the ICC no longer has jurisdiction over the country since the Philippines has already withdrawn from the Rome Statute.
In a media interview before he left Berlin, Marcos told reporters that Scholz inquired about the status of the ICC investigation on the drug war under the Duterte government during their lunch meeting.
Marcos said he explained to the Chancellor why the Philippines does not recognize ICC’s jurisdiction .
“I think he just wanted to be informed but I went further beyond just explaining the position of the Philippines vis-í -vis the ICC,” he said.
The PCO said the President explained that ICC’s intrusion to the Philippine judicial system has resulted in a conflict on the jurisdiction issue and the government now has to deal with it.
“Well, there is now a conflict between — in terms of jurisdiction because, in our opinion, the ICC (comes in) when a country has no judiciary, no functioning judiciary, no police force to enforce peace and order, enforce law,” he said.
Marcos reiterated that the Philippines is capable of and doing its own investigation into the alleged abuses committed in the implementation of the drug war.
“As a matter of principle, it is very difficult for the Philippines to accept that an outside court will, shall I say, dictate to our policemen, who they will investigate, who they will arrest and who will say that, because we don’t need that advice,” he said.
The Philippines formally cut ties with the ICC on March 17, 2019, or a year after the country formally notified the United Nations of its withdrawal from the Rome Statute.
The President likewise told Scholz that he is personally opposed to the idea of handling the country’s drug problems with violence, which is why his administration’s approach on the issue is different from that of his predecessor, former president Rodrigo Duterte.
In a report by state-run news agency Philippine News Agency, Marcos said his administration’s current campaign has already made progress.
“It’s a big problem, but our approach has changed significantly. I am diametrically opposed to handling the drug problem in that way, by confrontation, by violence, and it really requires so much, more, much deeper understanding on the problem and the much deeper solution. So, yes, I think that we are also progressing when it comes to that,” he said.
The President said among the reforms that his administration implemented include the reorganization of the PNP to remove police officers involved in “nefarious practices.”
He said some of these police officers have even been tried, convicted and currently in jail and serving their time.
The government’s campaign against illegal drugs also strengthened the rehabilitation, reintegration, and introduced preventive education programs especially for the youth sector.
