Manila can’t ignore
int’l police—Bersamin
The Marcos administration will respond positively to requests from the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) for the arrest or custody of individuals under International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said Friday.
“We have been very clear in our statements regarding this, 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 the custody of a person subject to ICC jurisdiction, we will respond, favorably or positively to the Interpol request,” he said in a press conference.
Bersamin explained that while the Philippines is no longer a member of the ICC, it remains committed to cooperating with Interpol in line with its broader law enforcement goals and international partnerships.
He underscored the importance of maintaining strong ties with Interpol, describing the organization as a vital partner in addressing transnational crime and ensuring reciprocity in international law enforcement efforts.
However, he also clarified that cooperating with Interpol on such requests does not signify a shift in the government’s stand on ICC membership.
“We are no longer under the jurisdiction of the ICC, but that does not necessarily mean that… the order of the ICC enforced through Interpol should be ignored,” Bersamin said.
“I’m not saying that we are disregarding the ICC; we are accommodating Interpol,” he added.
Bersamin emphasized that cooperating with Interpol ensures the Philippines retains the benefits of its relationship with the international policing body, which provides crucial assistance in other law enforcement matters.
The Executive Secretary’s remark came after Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla hinted that the government may consider limited cooperation with the ICC despite the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court.
“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,” said Remulla.
He explained that the government’s possible cooperation with the ICC is not prohibited by law.
“I know that, as anecdotally from people I know from the human rights community, they’ve been in contact here,” he added.
However, he clarified that the country’s membership with the international tribunal is a different matter.
Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros stressed that Remulla’s remarks offer hope to the families of those killed under former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
“Secretary Remulla’s pronouncement on the ICC’s investigation on Duterte’s war on drugs gives us hope that real justice for the thousands of victims of the former administration’s killing spree could finally come,” she said in a statement on Friday.
At the Lower Chamber, The Makabayan Bloc in the House of Representatives backed the government’s readiness to cooperate with the United Nations (UN)-backed body to investigate extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the Duterte administration.
“We, the Makabayan bloc representatives, welcome Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla’s statement expressing willingness to engage with the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding its investigation into the drug war killings,” Reps. Raoul Manuel of Kabataan, France Castro of ACT Teachers and Arlene Brosas of Gabriela said in a joint statement.
In 2019, Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC, a body that investigates and prosecutes genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, among others, after it turned its attention to the extra-judicial killings allegedly being perpetrated at the behest of his administration. With Pot Chavez, Ram Superable and Maricel V. Cruz