Senator Imee Marcos firmly rejected the possibility of former President Rodrigo Duterte facing charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC), calling it an insult to the Philippine judiciary.
“I don’t want foreigners interfering in our affairs. It’s a complete insult to our judiciary, which I hold in high regard despite its slow pace. Our judges are working hard. Why should outsiders meddle? If we allow this, we might as well dismantle all our courts,” Marcos said in an interview with ABS-CBN’s Harapan.
She also emphasized that the Philippines is no longer a member of the ICC, making the tribunal’s involvement unwarranted. “Most importantly, we are no longer part of the ICC. The Rome Statute is clear that the ICC only steps in when there is no functioning judiciary, and ours remains intact with competent judges,” she added.
Malacañang has maintained that the country’s stance on the ICC’s probe into Duterte’s war on drugs remains unchanged.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin clarified that while the Philippines has withdrawn from the ICC, it remains a member of Interpol and cannot ignore requests channeled through the international police organization.
“We have withdrawn from the ICC, and that withdrawal is in effect,” Bersamin said. “But if the ICC makes a request through Interpol, and Interpol forwards it to us, we will respond favorably because we also benefit from Interpol in other cases.”
