Marcos on inviting ICC: We don't play politics with sovereignty

MELBOURNE —The Philippines will not invite the International Criminal Court to investigate former President Rodrigo Duterte "more fully" even with the perceived downturn of his relationship with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

Marcos thus said in an interview with ABC's Sarah Ferguson, who said it was "clear from the outside that there's been some breakdown in the relationship."

''No. That would be a political move and what we are, we do not play politics with jurisdiction and sovereignty,'' Marcos said. 

Marcos reiterated his view that the ICC was "a threat to sovereignty, simply because the ICC was formed to conduct, to provide justice to areas where there is no, there is no judiciary." 

"Where there is no court system, where there is no police, where there is no peace and order and that's not the Philippines,'' Marcos said. 

''And therefore, I don't think that their investigations or their concerns apply to the Philippines,'' he added.

Asked about the need to give justice to the thousands of victims of the war on drugs, Marcos said the Philippines has a working police and justice system. 

''I think we, in the Philippines, as I said, have a functioning police force. We have a functioning judiciary, and it is their responsibility to take care of that,'' Marcos said. 

''We have made a great deal of progress in that regard where many policemen have already been removed from service because they've been found to be liable, cases have been filed. Many are already in jail,'' he added.

He also said that those allegedly involved in illegal drugs were not being shot by law enforcers. 

''We don't. We have taken enforcement as far as we can, and it only gets you so far,'' Marcos said. —NB, GMA Integrated News