PHL launches Miriam’s int'l crime court candidature in NY

The Philippine government formally launched this week the candidacy of Sen. Miriam Santiago to the International Criminal Court, as it reiterated its commitment to support the ICC. Philippine ambassador Libran Cabactulan called on the Philippines’ partners and friends to support the bid of Santiago, whom he described as an international legal scholar. “(Santiago is) an experienced trial judge and international legal scholar, with a distinguished and long career in public service," he said, according to a news release of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations website. Cabactulan formally announced the Philippines’ candidature for a seat in the ICC at the General Debate of the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly here last Sept. 27. He also said the Philippines is “firm in the desire to contribute to global efforts to safeguard the world against impunity." The ICC, governed by the Rome Statute, is the first permanent, treaty-based international criminal court established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community. It is an independent international organization and is not part of the UN system. Its seat is at The Hague in the Netherlands. The Philippine Mission also held a reception to formally launch Santiago’s candidature. Diplomats from ICC States Parties, ICC officials, and representatives of civil society organizations attended the event. In his speech, Cabactulan quoted a portion from Santiago’s book “Political Offenses in International Law," one of her many publications on international law published by the University of the Philippines Law Center in 1977. “The establishment of an international criminal court with jurisdiction over international crimes… has been repeatedly recommended. It can only be reiterated here that affirmative action on existing proposals would be timely and beneficial for the… world community," he quoted Santiago as saying in her book. Cabactulan also reiterated the Philippines’ firm commitment to supporting the ICC and its work. “By putting forth the candidature of Doctor Santiago, one of the leading legal luminaries in the country, we are strengthening the Court as she would bring to bear her extensive knowledge and expertise in international law, and would help guide the work of the Court as our world and our peoples face new and difficult challenges ahead," he said. Santiago is now in The Hague to meet with members of the diplomatic corps, ICC officials, and members of the civil society. She is due to go to New York on October 27 with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario to meet with the diplomatic community. The Philippines deposited the instrument of ratification for the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in August this year. “This is an historic moment for my country and my people. We have stood up against the impunity of colonial rule and of a dictatorship. This time, we stand together with the rest of the world in saying ‘never again’ to impunity, in any corner of our world," Cabactulan said. — LBG, GMA News