Drug war victims' lawyer worried after Marcos said the Philippines won't rejoin ICC

A legal counsel of drug war victims expressed concern on Tuesday after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said the Philippines has no intention of rejoining the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Interviewed on CNN Philippines, Rise Up for Life and for Rights’ counsel Kristina Conti said the government might not cooperate with ICC's investigation into the drug war killings.

"While rejoining ICC might not have been in the cards for Marcos, I am more worried or concerned about possible refusal to cooperate with an ICC investigation," she said.

Conti said that even though the country is no longer a member, the government was still considering the ICC as a judicial body because it still sought “affirmatively” the deferral of the probe last year.

On Monday, Marcos said “the Philippines has no intention of rejoining the ICC," pointing out that the country already has its own investigation into the drug war killings.

But Conti, who represents around 200 families of drug war victims, said the local investigation focuses on individual cases of killings that would only go after people involved in police operations.

She pointed out that the ICC probe would cover the bigger picture of these deaths including the pattern of the incidents, faults in policies, and the mastermind or most responsible for these ‘widespread’ and ‘systematic’ killings.

“I would like to disagree... There is no investigation, genuine and credible enough, to mirror or track what the ICC is doing," Conti said.

According to Conti, the families of drug war victims are “quite prepared” for the refusal of the Marcos administration to rejoin the ICC, continuing the response of the Duterte administration.

Despite the Philippine government's refusal to join ICC again, the families of the drug war victims maintained a "glimmer of hope" for justice, she added.

Palace reacts

Asked for reaction on Conti's remark, Malacañang said not rejoining the ICC is an issue of sovereignty, adding that killings linked to the drug war are being probed by the government.

"Sa kasalukuyan, iniimbestigahan naman po ang mga reklamo ukol doon sa mga namamatay during the drug war kung kaya't hindi na nangangailangan pang tumugon sa ICC o bumalik ang ating bansa sa Rome Statue," Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said in a press briefing.

(At present, the complaints on the killings being linked to the drug war are being investigated. Therefore, there is no need for the Philippines to rejoin the ICC.)

"So, naiintindihan natin na ang mga biktima ay may hinaing ngunit bukas po ang ating mga hukuman at ang proseso ng hustisya para sa kanilang hinaing," she added.

(We understand that the victims want justice but our courts and the justice system are open to receive their complaints.)

Cruz-Angeles also said the justice system in the Philippines include the swift process of the investigations.

"Bahagi po ng ating proseso ang mabilis na paglilitis lalong-lalo na doon sa mga kriminal na kaso. So hindi na kailangan magbigay ng direktiba ang Pangulo, bahagi na po 'yun ng sistema ng hustiya," she said.

(The speedy resolution of the cases is part of the justice system. There is no need for the President to give a new directive, that's part of the justice system.) —KG, GMA News