PHL asks ICC to respect nat’l proceedings on terrorism, illegal drugs

The Philippines has urged the International Criminal Court to respect national proceedings on terrorism and illegal drugs as it warned of attempts to use the tribunal as a means to forward political interests.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque pointed out that the siege of Marawi City showed the link between terrorism and illegal drugs.

"The recent siege in Marawi City in Southern Philippines serves as a crucial reminder for us and the rest of the world of the intimate and indisputable link between terrorism and the illegal drug trade," he said.

"Ongoing national proceedings in relation to these crimes must therefore be respected," he said.

He delivered the message at the general debate of the 16th Assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC at the United Nations Headquarters in New York early Friday morning, Manila time.

“We urge the Court to resist attempts by some sectors to treat the Court as a venue to pursue political agenda to destabilize governments and undermine legitimate national authorities,” he said.

“It is indeed actions like these that politicize and dilute the Court’s mandate which ultimately [undermines] national efforts to punish and prosecute crimes covered by the Statute and derail current efforts to achieve universality of the Rome Statute,” he added.

READ: Spox Roque's statement at the general debate of the Assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute of the Intl Criminal Court: Resist attempts to treat ICC as a venue to pursue political agenda, destabilize govts, undermine legitimate natl authorities pic.twitter.com/igPG5rmCFx

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Roque on Monday raised the possibility of the Philippines leaving the ICC if it violates the principle of complementarity – if it supersedes the jurisdiction of local courts. He reiterated this point at the general debate, stressing that the ICC is a court of last resort.

"We trust that the Court's exercise of its mandate will respect national processes geared towards exacting criminal accountability for conduct committed within our territory. A violation of the very basis of our consent – which is complementarity – will constrain us to reassess our continuing commitment to the Court and the Rome Statute," he said.

Although Roque did not mention this in his speech, the lawyer of confessed hitman Edgar Matobato, Jude Sabio, in April filed a complaint against Duterte and senior officials before the ICC, accusing them of crimes against humanity amid the drug war.

The office of ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda confirmed that it received the complaint. —KG, GMA News