PH warns ICC not to cross the line

THE Philippine government, thru former Senate President and now Presidential Legal Counsel, Juan Ponce Enrile and Department of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin ‘Boying’ Remulla, warned the International Criminal Court (ICC) not to cross the line by its continued interference in the country’s internal affairs with Enrile suggesting that ICC investigators coming into the country uninvited and without government consent to be immediately handcuffed and thrown in jail.

Enrile, who also served as Senate President and in various Cabinet positions under the administration of President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, the father of President Marcos Jr., made the suggestion of jailing ICC probers after Remulla also described as already “irritating” the persistence of the ICC to proceed with its probe on the country’s “war on drugs” during the Duterte administration despite the country already withdrawing its membership with the body.

The Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC took effect nearly 3 years ago, on March 17, 2019.

“As the lawyer of the President, as far as I am concerned, I do not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court of Justice. They have no sovereign power over us,” Enrile told the media on Monday, January 30, 2023.

“If they come here, if I were to be followed, I will cause their arrest. They interfere too much in our internal affairs,” he said.

For its part, the ICC, banking on the “evidence” provided by communist front organizations and bogus human rights group and the incidents sensationalized by foreign-funded media groups like ‘Rappler,’ claimed they can still investigate those incidents that occurred between November 2011 and March 2019, when the Philippines was still a member of the ICC.

Official government data on the casualties of the drug war was placed at 6,181 but working in conjunction with each other, CPP front groups and foreign-paid media groups bloated the figure to more than 30,000—the latter being the “data” and the “evidence” that the ICC would now want to prove.

Last January 26, 2023, the Associated Press reported that the ICC agreed to resume its investigation of the country’s campaign against illegal drugs under the Duterte administration, claiming, “The various domestic initiatives and proceedings, assessed collectively, do not amount to tangible, concrete and progressive investigative steps in a way that would sufficiently mirror the (ICC) court’s investigation.”

In doing so, the ICC showed its arrogance and disrespect to the country as a sovereign nation when simply ignored the evidence and the actions taken by the government to address the issue since 2021, when it agreed to temporarily halt the probe.

At a press conference the next day, Remulla said: “I don’t see where they will come in, what role they will play unless they want to take over our legal system.”

“Definitely I do not welcome this move. I will not welcome them in the Philippines unless they make clear that they will respect us.

“I will not stand for any of these antics that will tend to question our sovereignty. I will not accept that,” Remulla said.

The DOJ added that to showcase the country’s commitment to human rights, Remulla is set to welcome the arrival this February of United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings, Morris Tidball-Binz.

Justice Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Jose Dominic Clavano said that on the request of Remulla, Tidball-Binz will investigate the country’s process and conduct of investigations in relation to extrajudicial killings.

“When he comes here, we will show him all, including the status of investigations and we are confident that he will see we are doing something,” Clavano said.

Clavano said 290 cases of deaths during illegal drug operations have been under various stages of investigation and prosecution and their effort would not stop there.

“We pick up a lot of information from civil society groups. There are many who go to the DOJ to tell their stories.”

Clavano also bared that the National Bureau of Investigation has a special task force, and the DOJ has a special panel of prosecutors to handle all these cases.

PNP also airs side over ICC interference

Seconding Enrile and Remulla, the Philippine National Police (PNP) also last January 30, 2023, called on the ICC to respect the country’s sovereignty and acknowledge the capacity of its judicial system.

“The PNP has always maintained, that the Philippines has a robust, efficient, and functioning criminal justice system with active legal proceedings and remedies available to address any claim of human rights abuses in the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign,” said PNP director general, Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr.

“This is evidenced by ongoing investigations on all drug-related deaths and cases of successful prosecution of some government personnel involved in related crimes,” Azurin told reporters in a press briefing at Camp Crame.

“Our case reviews of our drug operations from 2016 to date continue and yes we had been providing also the DOJ, especially during the time of Chief PNP (Guillermo) Eleazar, we submitted I think over 300 case folders of which 52 cases have been completed involving our PNP operatives pertaining to their drug operations.

“That’s why don’t see any reason why the ICC would come in to investigate because our police are still investigating in tandem with the DOJ,” Azurin said.