Palace hands off ICC proceedings

The Philippines has no jurisdiction over the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the case of former President Rodrigo Duterte, Malacañang said on Friday.

“We have no jurisdiction over whatever the ICC does, we have no jurisdiction over their procedures, and after we brought former president Duterte to the ICC, the government will no longer have control or responsibility for him,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro told reporters in a press briefing in Malacañang.

She, however, cited Republic Act 9851 which calls for the Philippines to seek a fair trial for Filipinos being tried in other countries.

“But based on RA 9851, as Filipinos — not just because Duterte is a former president — the government needs to assure and ensure that a fair trial is taking place, especially since former President Duterte is a Filipino,” she pointed out.

RA 9851 aligns Philippine law with international standards by addressing the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.

Meanwhile, Castro clarified that all expenses for the ICC hearing, including legal counsels, would be shouldered by the former president in his private capacity.

“Yes, even for the complainants, the government does not shoulder them because they each have their own lawyers. And as we’ve said, we have no responsibility or hand over the ICC proceedings.”

Freezing Duterte’s assets

On the other hand, Castro said the government is willing to comply with the ICC if it orders a freeze on the assets of the former president, provided it is aligned with the law.

“If there’s a law and we are allowed to do so, they must show it to us and we will comply because, as we always say, everything we do here must be based on the law,” she said.