ICC bent on interfering with Philippines’ sovereignty - Malacanang

The International Criminal Court just would not stop.

Malacanang has tagged ICC that it is indeed interfering with Philippines’ sovereignty despite its withdrawal from the tribunal.

Presidential Spokesperson and concurrent Presidential Legal Counsel issued a statement after the ICC told the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), the complainant of the second communication filed against Duterte, that it will analyze the complaint as expeditiously as possible.

The International Criminal Court at the Hague (photo credit to owner)

The first communication was filed by lawyer Jude Sabio last April 2017, citing the “continuing mass mcurder” in the Philippines as shown by the thousands of Filipinos killed in the anti-criminality and anti-drug campaigns that began when Duterte was still mayor of Davao City.

“With the ICC writing the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers a letter on April 4, 2019 saying that it will analyze the latter’s communication in the context of a situation already under preliminary examination by it, it becomes apparent that this institution is indeed bent on interfering with the sovereignty of our Republic even if it means disregarding the Rome Statute, the very instrument which created it,” Panelo said.

The Philippines has pulled out from the ICC after the president unilaterally withdrew from that international body after the latter’s announcement the beginning of its preliminary examination of the government’s brutal war on illegal drugs.

Rationale of the Philippine government in pulling out its membership from the ICC are : it has not acquired any jurisdiction of the Philippines

As the country’s ratification of the Rome Statute -  the treaty that created the iCC-  was never published in the Official Gazette.

“Even if we assume, for the sake of argument, that the Rome Statute became enforceable in the Philippines, the ICC can still no longer exercise its powers over the country as, in such hypothetical case, our withdrawal already became effective last month,” Panelo pointed out.

Panelo also raised the “complimentary principle,”which states that there will be no overlapping in jurisdictions.

According to the Rome Statute , the ICC can only act if there is inability or unwillingness of the State Party to investigate and prosecute its own offenders for the commission of crimes referred thereto,” Panelo said.

Atty Panelo, further notes the “biased and preconceived actions of the ICC, we cannot blame the Filipino people for thinking that it has taken a politically-motivated obnoxious path aimed at maligning not just this administration but the very Republic of the Philippines.

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Report from PDI