Roque: Bato has nothing to worry about ICC probe on drug war

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Thursday that Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa has nothing to worry about the International Criminal Court's probe into the government's controversial campaign against illegal drugs.

In a television interview, Roque was asked if Dela Rosa, former chief of the Philippine National Police, should worry about the investigation. He said there's nothing to worry about as he maintained that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines.

"Certainly not. We believe that under the principle of complementarity, the ICC has absolutely no jurisdiction because our domestic courts and institutions are functioning," Roque told ANC.

"We even have an IHL (International Humanitarian Law) which I have drafted and lobbied through Congress and therefore any complainant for crimes against humanity should first file their complaint before the Philippine courts because the principle of complementarity says that we do not surrender our sovereignty and our jurisdiction and that the court of first instance should still be Philippine courts," he added.

Together with President Rodrigo Duterte, Dela Rosa was mentioned in the ICC pre-trial chamber's 41-page decision authorizing the opening of a full investigation into the administration's war against illegal drugs, given that he was the first PNP chief who implemented it.

Dela Rosa had admitted that he was a little anxious about the outcome of the probe. Duterte also said before that the ICC probe was making Dela Rosa nervous.

Critics have claimed that more than 20,000 were killed amid the drug war but government data indicated that over 5,000 died during drug operations since 2016.  — Anna Felicia Bajo/RSJ, GMA News