Remulla: Rejoining ICC ‘requires serious study’

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Friday echoed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s remarks that the possibility of the Philippines rejoining the International Criminal Court, as demanded by some House lawmakers, need careful study.

"Rejoining ICC requires serious study. Hindi pwedeng lumundag tayo basta basta dahil meron lang nagsabi (We can't jump willy-nilly just because somebody demanded it). It really needs to be studied thoroughly," said Remulla.

He added, "Hindi tayo parang turumpo na kapag mayrong bumatbat ay iikot na lang (We're not like tops that anyone can just whip about). We should conduct ourselves rightfully because this concerns the welfare of our country."

Marcos said that returning under the fold of the ICC is "under study," even as he maintained that there are "problems" with regard to the ICC's jurisdiction in probing the Duterte administration's war on drugs.

"There is also a question: Should we return under the fold of the ICC? So that's again under study," Marcos told reporters in an interview.

"So we'll just keep looking at it and see what our options are."

The President's latest remark came days after Manila Representative Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. filed a resolution urging the Marcos administration to coordinate with the ICC probe.

The resolution noted that while the Philippine government already withdrew from being a party to the ICC, the ICC and both the Supreme Court in the Philippines have maintained that the ICC has jurisdiction with respect to alleged crimes against humanity perpetuated in the Philippines during the early period of the Duterte administration's drug war.

The same resolution was filed by Makabayan bloc lawmakers France Castro of ACT Teachers party-list, Arlene Brosas of Gabriela party-list and Raoul Manuel of Kabataan party-list last October.

"This is not unusual," Marcos said of the resolutions. "They are just expressing or manifesting the sense of the House that perhaps it's time to allow or cooperate with the ICC investigations."

"But as I have always said, there are still problems in terms of jurisdiction and sovereignty. Now, if we can solve these problems, then that would be something," he added, noting the Philippines' withdrawal from the Rome Statute — the treaty that established the ICC — in March 2019.

"If you are talking about the jurisdiction of the ICC especially since we have withdrawn from the Rome Statute few years back, that brings into question whether or not this is actually possible," he stressed.

The ICC Appeals Chamber had denied the Philippine government's appeal to stop the probe on the drug war killings, saying the Philippine government has failed to prove that a legitimate investigation and the prosecution of perpetrators are being undertaken by local authorities.