ICC stays clear of Sara, Abalos

Neither Vice President Sara Duterte nor Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos received documents from the International Criminal Court, or ICC, amid reports that probers from the tribunal had visited the country.

Duterte is supposedly among the respondents in the ICC investigation, while Abalos as Department of the Interior and Local Government head oversees the Philippine National Police, or PNP, that initiated the drug war that the ICC is probing.

“I have not received any documents from the ICC,” said Duterte in an ambush interview on the sidelines of the national launch of the school mental health program and the kickoff of the school-based feeding program at Esteban Abada Elementary School in Quezon City.

The Vice President, formerly the mayor of Davao City, said on Tuesday she will face any accusations linking her to the “death squad” only before a Philippine court.

“I will face any accusation against me. But I will only face any charge against me before a Filipino judge — and only before a Filipino court,” she said in a statement.

The stand is similar to her father’s, who is reportedly being probed over alleged extrajudicial killings in the anti-narcotics campaign during his presidency.

Duterte said she would not participate or be part of a process that would not only bring shame to the Philippines but would also crush the dignity of the prosecution, courts, and the whole justice system of the country.

“Let’s not put the country to shame to the whole world by allowing foreign people to interfere in the Philippines. The inclination of being under the control of foreigners is a slap to the Filipino heroes who gave their lives and fought for our freedom,” she said.

Duterte denied that she had a “death squad” when she was mayor of Davao City.

“In the years that I served as vice mayor and mayor of Davao City, my name was never associated with the Davao Death Squad,” she said.

In a Palace briefing, Abalos said he was unaware of any attempt to reach out to the PNP or local government units by the international court.

“As far as our office is concerned, the DILG, I have no knowledge of this, there is no communication with them, nothing at all,” Abalos said.

The DILG chief’s statement came amid reports claiming that ICC investigators had concluded their initial phase of inquiry into the alleged human rights violations under the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, with human rights groups accusing authorities of widespread extrajudicial killings.

Earlier this week, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. instructed government officials to refrain from responding if ICC representatives attempted to contact them.

Abalos assured that the DILG will abide by Marcos’s directive regarding the ICC, saying: “We will follow the lead of the President.”

Bato points to Trillanes

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, meanwhile, said former Senator Antonio Trillanes III was using the ICC issue to “destabilize” the relationship between the Marcoses and Dutertes.

“I don’t know. Is Trillanes appointed as spokesperson of ICC? I don’t know if he has an appointment as spokesperson for ICC. You know, Trillanes is a great destabilizer. He just wants to destabilize the relationship between the Marcoses and the Dutertes. He wants conflict. That’s his motive,” Dela Rosa told reporters.

Trillanes had said the ICC investigators had gathered enough evidence to prosecute Dela Rosa and former President Duterte over possible cases of crimes against humanity for implementing the war on drugs.

De la Rosa was the first PNP chief of Duterte who undersaw Oplan Tokhang which was associated with the war on drugs abuses.

Trillanes’ statement prompted Dela Rosa to urge the Marcos administration to make public its stand on the ICC issue.

Dela Rosa said he is prepared to face the ICC should the government allow the investigation to prosper in the Philippines.

On Tuesday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the ICC may visit the Philippines but the government will not cooperate in the international tribunal’s investigation into the anti-illegal drugs campaign.

“Let me say this for the 100th time. I do not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC in the Philippines. I consider this as a threat to our sovereignty. Therefore, the Philippine government will not lift a finger to help any investigation that the ICC conducts,” Marcos said.

Meanwhile, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go welcomed President Marcos’ recent pronouncement that the ICC posed a threat to Philippine sovereignty.

Go emphasized the importance of upholding the country’s sovereignty and the independence of its working judicial system.

“The Philippines has a strong, independent judicial system. It is our belief that only Philippine courts, under Philippine laws, are qualified to adjudicate matters concerning our nation and its people,” Go said.