President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Saturday that the Philippines will not work together with the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying that it already has a "good" justice system.
This was in response to the ICC's decision to reopen its investigation into the number of deaths correlated with the war on drugs campaign by former president Rodrigo Duterte.
In an interview, Marcos noted that the country is a "sovereign nation," over which the ICC has no jurisdiction.
He added that prior to taking office as president, questions had been raised regarding the ICC's jurisdiction, explaining that the Philippines does not need help from any outside entity since it has a good police and judiciary system.
Marcos stated that he would not allow "former imperialists," such as the ICC, to control the Philippines unless the international court could be proven to have jurisdiction over the country.
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan suspended in November 2021 its investigation into the alleged crimes against humanity attributed to Duterte's drug campaign to assess "the scope and effect of the deferral request" of the Philippine government.
The Pre-Trial Chamber (PTC) decided on January 26 to authorize Khan to continue the ICC's investigation into drug-related deaths in the Philippines because it was "not satisfied" that the Philippine government was conducting relevant investigations "that would warrant a deferral of the Court's investigations on the basis of the complementarity principle."
On January 26, the Department of Justice (DOJ) requested that the International Criminal Court (ICC) allow the Philippines to conduct its own investigation while respecting the country's sovereignty and judicial systems.
In addition, the DOJ told the ICC that the country has a "working" and "organized" justice system in comparison to some African countries investigated by the international court.
On January 28, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile suggested that ICC investigators be arrested if they enter the country without authorization.
The Philippines, according to Enrile, "will not allow any of our officials to be investigated or tried" by the ICC.
After former prosecutor Fatou Bensouda continued with the preliminary examination, Duterte ordered the Philippines to terminate the Rome Statute that established the ICC in March 2018.
The Philippines formally severed ties with the ICC on March 17, 2019, one year after the Rome Statute was revoked.
Despite the Philippines' withdrawal, Khan stated that the ICC retains jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed in the country from November 1, 2011, to March 16, 2019.
The investigation by the ICC includes the conduct of the campaign under Duterte's supervision as well as alleged killings in Davao City between 2011 and 2016 while the former president was still mayor.
