MANILA – Malacañang said Filipinos cannot be blamed if they think the case filed against President Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC) is politically motivated.
“With the biased and pre-conceived actions of the ICC, we cannot blame the Filipino people for thinking that it has taken a politically motivated [and] obnoxious path aimed at maligning not just this administration but the very Republic of the Philippines,”
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
The Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC “is indeed bent on interfering with the sovereignty” of the country, added Panelo.
“It is only when a criminal investigation has commenced prior to the effective date of the withdrawal that the ICC can continue with the case initiated. The ICC, through the Office of the Prosecutor, is conducting only a preliminary examination and not a criminal investigation or proceeding,” the Palace official stressed.
Panelo also said there is “no basis under the Rome Statute for the ICC to proceed with any of its activities relative to the President’s programs against illegal drugs,” citing the “categorical wordings of Article 127.”
Panelo also challenged administration’s critics to file a case before a competent Philippine court.
He said 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.
“We urge any individual who has sufficient evidence to file a case before a Philippine court of competent jurisdiction and contend that the deaths resulting from the war against illicit drugs are State-sponsored. This is the only way we can determine if there is indeed inability or unwillingness on the part of the Philippine Government to investigate and prosecute these alleged crimes,” Panelo said.
The spokesman added that non-filing of cases could mean there is no evidence to support their claim against the government.
“Revelations will then prove that all these allegations are mere fabrications contrived by those who wish to destroy the anti-illegal drug campaign of the President,” Panelo said.
He reiterated that the Philippines already signified that it never became part of the ICC’s jurisdiction. (With a report from PNA/PN)
