SERVING JUSTICE The International Criminal Court (ICC) headquarters in The Hague. —ICC PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Palace said that the Philippines’ stance on withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC) remains unchanged, but it will cooperate if the international tribunal makes requests through the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).
In a press conference on Friday, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin was asked whether the country is changing its position on the ICC after Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla expressed openness to discussing the previous administration’s bloody war on drugs with the ICC.
“Hindi, ganito iyong sa ICC ano, we have withdrawn from the ICC [and] membership from the ICC, and that withdrawal is already in effect,” he responded.
“But we have been very clear in our statements regarding this, if the ICC makes a move, and courses the move through the Interpol and the Interpol makes the request to us for the arrest or delivery of the custody of a person subject to ICC jurisdiction, we will respond, favorably or positively to the Interpol request, kasi nagbe-benefit din tayo sa Interpol in other cases,” he continued.
A Reuters article dated January 23 said that Remulla would be willing to talk to the ICC “in a very well-defined manner, in the spirit of comity.”
Remulla also said that there are certain areas in which the Philippine government and the ICC could cooperate, but he emphasized that “lines have to be drawn properly.”
In Friday’s press conference, Bersamin said he did not know which areas of cooperation Remulla was referring to.
“Well, ganito iyan ano, walang namang definite na o klaro na sinabi na magko-cooperate kaagad. I do not even know kung anong ibig sabihin ni Secretary Boying. But as far as experience has given to the government shows, iyong request ng Interpol should always be respected, because the Interpol is also doing us service in other areas, similar to this. So, that’s the meaning of committee,” he said.