Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra stated on Friday, July 21, that the Philippines will concentrate on its own investigation and prosecution of crimes connected to the contentious war on drugs in the wake of the rejection of the country's petition to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
"Instead, the Philippine government will focus on its own investigation and prosecution of crimes in relation to the drug war," Guevarra said in a statement to the media.
On Tuesday, The Philippine government's appeal against the continuation of the ICC prosecutor's probe into the drug war was rejected by the ICC Appeals Chamber.
Guevarra claimed that, as a result, the nation "has no legal duty to cooperate with the ICC investigation."
Guevarra claimed to have personally discussed the issue with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and that both parties agreed that the country's interaction with the court would end with the appeal.
"The ICC is free to proceed with its own investigation, but it cannot expect any cooperation from the Philippine government as we continue to dispute its jurisdiction," the solicitor general noted.
Meanwhile, several government officials have also spoken out against working with the ICC, including Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, who had previously informed Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa and former President Rodrigo Duterte to avoid traveling to nations where the ICC would have an impact.
Duterte and Dela Rosa, the chief of the Philippine National Police under the Duterte administration, were both mentioned in the ICC prosecutor’s report on the killings.
As previously stated by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, the Senate will not release Dela Rosa unless a local warrant is issued for his arrest. Dela Rosa promised to shield himself from arrest as well.
A few days before the appeal was denied, according to Dela Rosa, Duterte had casually laughed off the idea of the ICC continuing its probe.
According to government figures, throughout the drug war, police operations murdered at least 6,200 suspects. However, human rights organizations asserted that the actual death toll may range from 12,000 to 30,000.
