JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has insisted that the International Criminal Court (ICC) does not have jurisdiction to investigate the alleged abuses committed during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, saying the country is not a party to the Rome Statute anymore.

“We’re not members of the ICC. We can turn over some documents to the Solicitor General but we’re not members of the ICC and there is no procedure by which the ICC can operate here in spite of their claim. There is no agreed procedure because we are not members anymore, “ Remulla said.

The ICC recently authorized the resumption of its investigation into the unnecessary deaths committed during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

It suspended investigation into the supposed atrocities committed during the campaign against illegal drugs to assess a deferral letter-request from the Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands.

The letter-request, dated November 10, 2021, told the ICC that the Philippine government was investigating the alleged crimes.

The Philippine Justice Department led a panel of several government agencies, including law enforcement units, in reviewing 5,655 anti-drug operations that resulted in deaths to see whether to file charges against the police officers involved.

The DOJ has been granted unprecedented access to PNP’s records of deaths during the government’s war on drugs.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Hector Lawas