President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. clarified on Thursday that the Philippines does not intend to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding its investigation into former President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial anti-drug campaign.
In a chance interview in Cavite, Mr. Marcos said that the government would have “no role” in the possible interaction between Duterte and the ICC.
“If [cooperating with the ICC] is good news to him, to PRRD [President Rodrigo Roa Duterte], then we won’t prevent it,” Marcos stated. “It’s up to him whether he wants to engage with or be investigated by the ICC. But as far as we’re concerned, that decision is his alone, and we have no role in it.”
President Marcos, moreover, affirmed that the government’s policy remains unchanged and that the Philippines will not cooperate with the ICC—a position he reiterated after Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin’s comments on Wednesday seemed to suggest a willingness to engage with the court if processed through Interpol.
He explained that any Interpol red notice related to Duterte would be handled separately from the ICC, with the country’s obligations to Interpol remaining intact.
“We have obligations to Interpol, and we have to fulfill those,” the President said.
“But our stance on the ICC remains: we do not cooperate with it,” he added.
In an earlier statement, Bersamin said that the government will neither object nor prevent Duterte from engaging with the ICC.
“If the former President desires to surrender himself to the jurisdiction of the ICC, the government will neither object nor block it,” Bersamin said.
However, he clarified that if the ICC initiates a red notice for Duterte through Interpol, the government would be obligated to respond and cooperate in accordance with international protocols.
Duterte publicly challenged the ICC to accelerate its investigation into his controversial anti-drug campaign.
“I am asking the ICC to hurry up. They are taking so long. I might die before they can investigate me,” Duterte said.
“If I am found guilty, I will go to prison and rot there,” he added.
The Philippines withdrew its membership from the ICC in 2019 under then-President Duterte, following the ICC’s initial inquiries into alleged extrajudicial killings linked to his administration’s anti-drug efforts.
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