AN administration lawmaker who chairs the House Committee on Human Rights has filed a resolution urging the government to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in pursuing its investigation on former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on illegal drugs.
Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante and Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez (PL, 1-Rider) last Monday filed House Resolution No. 1477 which calls on the Marcos Jr. administration “to extend their full cooperation to the ICC Prosecutor with respect to its investigation of any alleged crime within the jurisdiction of the ICC.”
This is the second resolution filed at the House asking government to reconsider its refusal to participate in the ICC probe.
Makabayan lawmakers have earlier filed House Resolution No. 1393 for the same purpose.
House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel filed HR No. 1393 after the former president admitted in his October 10 interview with Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) that he used intelligence funds to conduct extrajudicial killings (EJK) on his constituents in Davao City.
The two resolutions were filed amid the House leadership’s word war with the former chief executive over the House’s decision to strip Vice President Sara Duterte of confidential funds under the proposed P5.768 trillion national budget for 2023.
HRN 1477 was referred to the House Committee on Justice for deliberation.
The resolution urges “the appropriate Philippine departments and agencies to extend their full cooperation to the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC with respect to its investigation of any alleged crime within the jurisdiction of the ICC, including but not limited to the crime against humanity of murder committed in the Philippines in the context of the so-called war on drugs campaign.”
“The Philippine government’s initial request for the ICC Prosecutor to defer its investigation, and the Philippine government’s subsequent petition before the ICC Appeals Chamber, clearly demonstrate that the Philippine government respects the rule of international law and recognizes the proceedings of the ICC,” the resolution said.
The Philippines withdrew as a State party from the ICC’s Rome Statute effective March 17, 2019 on orders of Duterte, who made the move after ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced that she would start a preliminary examination against him.
The ICC has maintained that it still has jurisdiction with respect to any crime committed in the Philippines while it was a State Party to the Rome Statute, from Nov. 1, 2011 up to March 16, 2019.
The Marcos administration’s appeal to stop the probe has been dismissed, giving ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan and his team the green light to proceed with the investigation.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla yesterday said it will need a “serious study” on whether the government will cooperate with the ICC’s probe on the drug war deaths and abuses in the previous administration.
“This will need a serious study on our part, on the DOJ’s part, considering that we are no longer a member of the ICC,” Remulla told reporters late Tuesday.
Right now, Remulla maintained there is no need for ICC probers to enter the country as he insisted that domestic mechanisms should be allowed to do its mandate to investigate the drug war deaths and file charges, if necessary.
He also reiterated the country has a fully functioning justice system. — With Ashzel Hachero
