Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday, Nov. 23, urged the House of Representatives to respect President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr.'s position that the Philippines "will not cooperate" with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its probe into the bloody anti-narcotics campaign.
In a statement issued to reporters, Duterte reminded lawmakers of Marcos' statement in which he uttered that any ICC probe "would be an intrusion into our internal matters and a threat to our sovereignty" and that the country "will not cooperate with them in any way, shape, or form."
"Given this clear standpoint, we urged the House to respect the position of the President, who is the chief of our foreign policy," the Vice President said.
"The President has likewise affirmed that his opinion is based on the fact that the ICC ceased to have jurisdiction over the Philippines upon the effectivity of our withdrawal from the Rome Statute on March 17, 2019," she added.
Vice President Sara Duterte nanawagan sa Kongreso na igalang ang posisyon ni PBBM sa panghihimasok ng ICC sa bansa | via RH 07 Henry Uri#SamaSamaTayoPilipino pic.twitter.com/XLSvinmbYN
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Duterte issued the statement shortly after House lawmakers filed resolutions urging the Philippine government departments and agencies to "extend their full cooperation" to the ICC in its probe into the alleged crimes against humanity during the administration of his father, former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
The Vice President pointed out that allowing ICC prosecutors to investigate "is not only unconstitutional but effectively belittles and degrades our legal institutions."
She appealed to lawmakers: "Huwag nating insultuhin at bigyan ng kahihiyan ang ating mga hukuman sa pamamagitan ng pagpapakita sa mundo na tayo ay naniniwala na mga dayuhan lang ang tanging may abilidad na magbigay ng katarungan at hustisya sa ating sariling bayan."
Senator Imee Marcos, an ally of both the Vice President and former President, first questioned the lawmakers' calls.
"Who are the lawmakers pushing for foreign interference in our justice system? Why are they intent upon the subjugation of the independent Philippine judicial system to foreign entities?" Marcos said in a statement posted on her official Facebook page.
It can be recalled that in July this year, the ICC turned down the Philippine government's appeal to stop the probe into the drug war as well as the killings in Davao City.
