All government employees and officials, including police officers, were warned by the Department of Justice (DOJ), that they would be made accountable should they cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigators looking into drug war killings during the past administration.
This was according to Justice Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano saying, "When a government officer or official is coordinating with the ICC against the direction, or the order and the policy, of the government, there may be accountability involved."
He said that if there is a law enforcement or government official that goes against the policies and orders of the authorities in position, then, obviously, there will be some sort of conflict of interest.
Clavano said there will be accountabilities and liabilities that go with it.
He issued the statement after former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV revealed that ICC investigators had contacted more than 50 police officers involved in alleged drug killings from the previous administration.
The former lawmaker said the ICC investigators gave the police officers the privilege to exonerate themselves so they would not be considered suspects in the complaint for crimes against humanity.
Clavano though said the government had been consistent "from the very start" that "we have a working justice system here in the Philippines evidenced by a lot of different cases and reforms that we've been undertaking."
He said President Marcos has been very firm in saying that, "we will not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC because we indeed have a very well and robust justice system."
