Lawmakers ask Marcos to cooperate with ICC investigation of Duterte

TWO PHILIPPINE congressmen on Tuesday urged the government of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to cooperate with the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation of ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s deadly anti-drug 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 it respects the rule of international law and recognizes the proceedings of the ICC,” the congressmen said in House Resolution 1477.

The resolution, filed by Manila Rep. Bienvenido M. Abante, Jr. and Party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo L. Gutierrez, has been sent to the House justice committee for deliberation.

Mr. Marcos earlier said the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines, which formally withdrew from the body in March 2019.

“We will not cooperate with them in any way, shape or form,” he told reporters in July.

The ICC on July 18 rejected the Philippines’ appeal to suspend its probe of Mr. Duterte’s deadly drug war.

Appeals Chamber Presiding Judge Marc It said the Philippines had failed to convince the court that the ICC-Pre-Trial Chamber was wrong in allowing its prosecutor to continue the probe.

“The issue of the impact of the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute and the court’s jurisdiction was neither properly raised nor adequately ventilated before the pre-trial chamber,” the ICC judge said.

The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber in January reopened its probe of Mr. Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, saying it was not satisfied with government efforts to probe human rights abuses.

It was also set to probe vigilante-style killings in Davao City when the former president was still its vice mayor and mayor.

Several congressmen in February, led by Duterte ally and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, filed a resolution calling on the House to “declare unequivocal defense” of Mr. Duterte against any ICC probe.

Former Philippine Senator Leila M. de Lima, who was freed on bail after spending nearly seven years in jail on drug trafficking charges, told reporters last week she was “very much willing” to help in the ICC investigation.

The government estimates that at least 6,117 suspected drug dealers were killed in police operations. Human rights groups say as many as 30,000 suspects died. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz