Palace: Trump ICC call won’t affect Digong trial

Malacañang said Wednesday that United States President Donald Trump’s call for countries to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) will not affect the ongoing case against former President Rodrigo Duterte before the tribunal.

Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the Philippine government continues to respect the ICC proceedings involving Duterte, despite Trump’s criticism of the court and call for its member states to leave.

“The US call is respected, but for now, the President’s position remains the same. As he has said before regarding rejoining the ICC, that remains his position. It is not yet the right time for the Philippines to rejoin the ICC,” Castro said in Filipino.

She said the Duterte case would continue to proceed regardless of Trump’s position on the ICC.

“We see the hearing in former President Duterte’s case moving forward. The complainants, lawyers, prosecutors and even the defense are respecting the ongoing hearings and proceedings in the case. There is no effect,” Castro said.

Duterte is facing an ICC case over alleged crimes against humanity linked to his administration’s war on drugs. He was arrested in March and surrendered to the tribunal in The Hague, where proceedings in his case are ongoing.

Trump on Wednesday called the ICC an “evil group of people” and said the United States would not allow American service members or others to face what he described as “show trials” before an “anti-American tribunal.”

“I call on all nations that are members of the ICC to officially resign from this rogue institution immediately,” Trump said in a speech in New York.