Duterte to ICC: ‘Under what power do you summon me?’

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday said the International Criminal Court (ICC) can never summon him to face allegations of state-sanctioned killings in his war against drugs.

"They want me haled before the ICC. Ayaw ko lang sabihin ngayon but they will never, never, never acquire jurisdiction over my person. Sabihin ko sa inyo. Bakit? Hindi ko lang sabihin. Basta pagdating ng panahon. Sabihin ko sa inyo," Duterte said in a speech in Tarlac City.

"Mag summons sa akin? Under what power do you summon me? Do you have jurisdiction over all these cases? Ipalagay na nating totoo. Do you have jurisdiction over the cases? over me?"

Last month, the ICC's Office of the Prosecutor announced that it would begin its preliminary examination on the alleged extrajudicial killings associated with the government’s intensified anti-illegal drugs campaign, which kicked off on July 1, 2016.

The preliminary examination is a procedure conducted by the ICC to determine whether the case falls under its jurisdiction.

The tribunal can only issue a summons if the requirements for initiating a full-blown investigation are met such as admissibility of the case, interest of justice, and the principle of complementarity should be implemented.

This means that the ICC can only investigate allegations of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes if the domestic courts are unable or unwilling to do so, which Malacañang said does not apply to the Philippines' situation.

The Palace also said the alleged deaths attributed to the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs were because of lawful police operations, thus these could not be regarded as attacks against civilians. — BM, GMA News