President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. has maintained his stance that his administration will not cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its investigation into the previous administration's war on drugs.
"I'm gonna say this on 100[th] time, I do not recognize the jurisdiction of ICC in the Philippines. I consider it as a threat to our sovereignty therefore, the Philippine government will not lift a finger to help any investigation that the ICC conducts," Marcos said in an ambush interview in Quezon City on Tuesday morning, January 23.
According to the president, ICC is welcome as a tourist in the country, but his administration will not assist the international chamber's probe.
"However, as ordinary people, they can come and visit the Philippines, pero hindi kami tutulong sa kanila," the Chief Executive said.
"In fact, binabantayan namin sila, making sure that they do not come into contact with any agency of government," he added.
A human rights organization earlier reported that more than 20,000 people were killed since former President Rodrigo Duterte took office in 2016 and carried out his “war on drugs.”
In November last year, lawmakers from both Senate and the House called on Marcos and concerned government agencies to "extend their full cooperation" the ICC in conducting its investigation.
The international prosecutorial body is probing the crimes supposedly committed from November 1, 2011, when Duterte was Davao City mayor to March 16, 2019, into his presidency.
