WATCH

Etta Rosales: Philippines may face sanctions if Duterte does not comply with ICC probe

Former Commission on Human Rights chair Etta Rosales said the Philippines may face sanctions if President Rodrigo Duterte does not comply with the International Criminal Court's investigation into the killings in the Philippines' war on drugs.

"Maraming paraan na magagawa at hindi puwede si Duterte na makatakas forever," she told journalist Malou Mangahas on The Mangahas Interviews on Thursday.

[This can be done in many ways and Duterte cannot escape forever.]

The ICC on Wednesday authorized a probe into the drug war killings in the country.

On Thursday, Malacañang maintained that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines.

Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the Rome Statute—the treaty that established the ICC—on March 17, 2019 in response to the complaints filed against him at the international tribunal.

Retired ICC judge Raul Pangalangan, however, said the Rome Statute is clear that the ICC retains jurisdiction even after a state's withdrawal.

The Supreme Court also said the Philippines is obliged to comply with the investigation.

Watch this The Mangahas Interviews episode to know more about the implications of the ICC's probe into Duterte's drug war, which has killed at least 6,000 individuals by the government's own tally. — Ma. Angelica Garcia/BM, GMA News