Lawyer Salvador Panelo, former chief presidential legal counsel and presidential spokesperson of former president Rodrigo Duterte, reacted to the statement of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pertaining to the return of the country to the fold of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as being "under study".
Here is his full statement:
The last statement of PBBM that it's not right for any foreign country to dictate on whom we will file charges against for unlawful acts or for any of them to investigate and prosecute Filipinos or put them to trial for such violations — is unequivocal and consistent with his off repeated pronouncement, which is constitutionally correct, that the ICC has no jurisdiction over our country having officially withdrawn as a member of the ICC.
PBBM's reference to undertaking an "under study " on the House resolution asking the Executive Department to cooperate with the ICC and allow an investigation on the alleged extra-judicial killings — is a courteous and diplomatic response to the said House resolution.
ICC's insistence and attempts at intruding into the internal affairs of the country, not only is an insult to our country, as correctly postulated by Vice-President Sara Zimmerman Duterte, but also an assault on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Philippines.
As President of the Republic and Head of State, PBBM is the Chief Architect of foreign policy. Having made repeated pronouncements on the absence of jurisdiction by the ICC over our country, it behooves the legislature as another branch of government to support the official position of the President.
To do otherwise is to undermine the authority of the President and present to the outside world that the two branches of our government are at war with each other.