The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday said it is monitoring if investigators of the International Criminal Court (ICC) are already in the Philippines.
At a press briefing at Camp Crame in Quezon City, PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. said they keeping their report on the matter under wraps for the time being.
“We cannot confirm or deny that. But the PNP is monitoring whatever their efforts or presence here. But as of now, we are keeping such report to ourselves,” he said Acorda made the statement when asked if the PNP has intelligence information that ICC investigators are already in the country.
Bureau of Immigration (BI) spokesperson, Dana Sandoval earlier refused to comment on the issue, saying they had no official information yet.
On Friday, Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesman Mico Clavano said the Immigration could not verify whether personalities from the ICC have entered the Philippines to look into the bloody anti=drugs campaign under the Duterte administration.
“Upon inquiry with the BI, with Commissioner Norman Tansingco himself, they could not verify whether members of the ICC have entered the country,” Clavano said in an ambush interview.
Clavano however said that this is not a denial or a confirmation of the ICC’s presence.
“We’re also not admitting or confirming or acknowledging their presence here in the Philippines. That could be false,” he said.
The ICC’s supposed presence in the country was first floated by former presidential spokesman Harry Roque who claimed he received information that some personalities from the ICC were “coming in and going out” of the Philippines.
Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra earlier stressed that the government had no legal duty to cooperate with the ICC in their investigation on the war against drugs of the Duterte administration.
“As far as the government is concerned, it has maintained its position that the state has no legal duty to cooperate with the ICC investigator,” Guevarra said.
Guevarra pointed out that the ICC could investigate the drug war without coming to the Philippines.
“The ICC prosecutor can actually conduct his investigation without coming to the Philippines, as he has local groups providing him support and assistance,” he said.