OFWs won’t be affected by PHL’s withdrawal from ICC —solon

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will not be affected by the long-term effects of the withdrawal of the Philippines from the International Criminal Court (ICC), a lawmaker said Thursday.

"Hindi naman maaapektuhan kasi we really have a very strong law in the land na nirerespeto naman ng ating mga mamamayan at ganun din ng international community," ACTS OFW party-list Representative John Bertiz said in a media forum in Quezon City.

"And most of these high-populated countries, may mga bilateral agreement tayo not only in labor, pati na rin sa security. So I don't think maaapektuhan nung pag-withdraw ng Pilipinas sa ICC ['yung mga OFWs]," he added.

Bertiz was reacting to former Ateneo School of Government dean Antonio La Viña's statement that the withdrawal, which was announced by President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, would be disadvantageous to Filipinos living or working abroad.

In an interview with GMA News Online on Wednesday, La Viña said non-membership in the ICC would pose a disadvantage to Filipino migrants and OFW subjected to war situations.

"[If] war crimes are committed against our people, wala tayong recourse sa ICC kasi hindi tayo member," he said.

But Bertiz said even without the ICC, there are embassies and agreements that already protect Filipinos in highly-populated countries across the globe.

"Basically, meron naman tayong tinatawag na embahada at representative and very strong mostly 'yung mga bilateral agreements natin doon sa mga highly-populated countries," he said.'''

"At isa pa, meron din namang tayong United Nations na puwedeng tumulong just in case merong mga war crimes or merong mga problema sa mga bansa na merong mga OFWs," Bertiz added.

Duterte said the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, due to “baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks” against him and his administration.

The announcement came after the ICC's Office of the Prosecutor announced in February that it will conduct a preliminary examination on allegations of crimes against humanity against Duterte and several officials of his administration in connection with the high death toll of his war on illegal drugs. —KBK, GMA News