December 6, 2024 | 5:59pm
MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker from the dominant political party called on the Philippine government to reinstate its membership in the International Criminal Court (ICC).
This is new coming from Congress, as only a few lawmakers — mainly from the minority and opposition — had previously urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to rejoin the ICC.
A member of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro (Batangas, 2nd District) said that reinstating the Philippines’ membership is “imperative” for the country to have a “court of last resort.”
Lakas-CMD is led by House Speaker Martin Romualdez and has a member base of over a hundred in the House of Representatives, making up around one-third of the lower chamber.
“Rejoining the ICC would reaffirm the country’s commitment to international norms and strengthen its legal framework in holding perpetrators of grave crimes accountable,” Luistro said in a statement.
“This is not to mention that these commitments are anchored on values that are parallel with that of the Philippines, as enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the 1987 Philippine Constitution,” she added.
This came after the European Union visited on December 3, urging the Philippine government to cooperate in the investigation of the Duterte administration’s drug war and recommending joining the ICC.
In previous statements, Marcos has remained adamant in keeping the Philippines out of the ICC’s jurisdiction, believing that local courts are fully capable of handling criminal cases.
‘A devastating decision’
The court has been investigating Duterte’s war on drugs, which rights groups have estimated extrajudicial killings to reach around 12,000 to 30,000.
The ICC began collecting documents and interviewing involved persons for the case in 2017, a year after former President Rodrigo Duterte launched his anti-illegal drug campaign.
However, the Philippines officially withdrew from the Rome Statute in March 2019, following Duterte’s strong opposition to the ICC’s preliminary investigation. He argued that the court was weaponizing human rights to target him.
Luistro described this decision as “devastating,” saying that leaving the ICC “sent the wrong message” to other nations, implying the Philippines’ disregard for the protection of human rights.
She explained that the withdrawal has also led Filipinos to think less of international laws, treaties and conventions.
“At its core, the withdrawal from the ICC signified to our people that our government’s commitment to international treaties, more importantly to our domestic laws, is malleable enough and can be distorted to the whims of a select few,” she said.
She said the Duterte administration’s decision to revoke the country’s membership undermines the commitment made when the Philippines ratified the Rome Statute in 2011.
What it means to be a member. The Rome Statute is the founding treaty of the ICC. By ratifying it, countries grant the court authority to prosecute, investigate, and try cases involving genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crimes of aggression.
Despite the Philippines’ withdrawal, Article 127 of the statute states that the ICC may still investigate alleged crimes committed during the period the country was a member.
RELATED: Fact check: Has the ICC actually sent anyone to prison?
Congressional probe into the Dutertes
Though in her first term as a lawmaker, Luistro has participated in the congressional investigation into drug-related extrajudicial killings during Duterte’s term and the illegal operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
Already headed for its 13th hearing, the Quad Committee has uncovered several testimonies from Duterte-appointed officials involved in the drug war and its alleged reward system for every suspect killed.
Even the former president attended one hearing, where he admitted to rewarding police officers after anti-illegal drug operations. At the same time, he dared the ICC to “hurry up” and investigate him.
RELATED: Rodrigo Duterte admits giving excess funds to police in drug war
Luistro is also a member of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, which is investigating Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds through her office and the Department of Education, where she previously served as secretary.
Two impeachment complaints were filed against the former president’s daughter for the alleged anomalies in the handling and accounting of confidential funds.
While Luistro has not expressed any support for the impeachment, especially since she is a member of the justice committee that will deliberate on the complaints, she said the good government panel’s findings show that there may be a case of malversation and breach of public trust.
The House of Representatives visited Malacañang on Wednesday, December 4, following the filing of the second impeachment complaint.
However, lawmakers clarified that the visit was merely a night of “fellowship,” where the House majority presented a manifesto supporting Marcos amid threats against him. They said that the visit was not intended to discuss the impeachment efforts, which the president has previously stated he does not support.
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