Bersamin: ICC requests through Interpol shouldn’t be ignored

The Philippines has not changed its position as regards the International Criminal Court (ICC), Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said Friday.

At a press briefing, Bersamin explained that the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC has already been in effect. However, if the ICC courses its requests through the Interpol, the government will certainly respond to it.

“If the ICC makes a move and courses the move through the Interpol and the Interpol makes the request to us for the arrest or delivery of a person subject to ICC jurisdiction, we will respond,” Bersamin said.

“‘Yung position is wala na tayo sa jurisdiction ng ICC pero that does not necessarily mean that the order of the ICC enforced through the Interpol is to be ignored… I’m not saying ‘yung ICC ang inaano natin, ‘yung Interpol ang pinagbibigyan natin,” he added.

Bersamin stressed that “requests of Interpol should always be respected doing service in some areas.”

Bersamin’s remarks came after Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla said that the Philippines is signaling a softened stance on the ICC’s investigation into the drug war.

"We will talk to them soon in a very well-defined manner, in the spirit of comity. Some people are trying to bridge the divide to bring us together, so we can sit at one table," Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said in an interview.

"There are certain areas we can cooperate," he told Reuters, stressing that "lines have to be drawn properly."

The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, in 2019 after The Hague-based tribunal began a probe into the Duterte administration's drug war.

Based on government records, there are at least 6,000 suspects killed during the Duterte administration's anti-drug police operations.

Human rights groups, however, have tallied 30,000 drug suspects killed, including those gunned down by supposed vigilantes.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte has offered no apologies for his drug war policy and even dared the ICC to investigate him for crimes against humanity as soon as possible. — BAP, GMA Integrated News