Senate President Francis Escudero on Wednesday raised questions about former President Rodrigo Duterte’s recent call for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to expedite its investigation into the drug war conducted during his administration.
Escudero’s remarks reflect the complicated dynamics surrounding Duterte’s latest statement at the House Quad Committee hearing, considering that the former president led the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC in 2019.
“Philippines is not part of the ICC anymore because of him, and now he demands the ICC to hurry?” the Senate President said in Tagalog during a press conference, underscoring what he described as a contradiction in Duterte’s stance.
Escudero clarified that the Senate’s role would be limited to ratifying a decision if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. chose to reinstate the Philippines as a member of the ICC.
“If the President (Marcos) decides to return to the ICC, our only role would be to ratify that return. However, as regards the authority to rejoin, even if some senators are in favor, we cannot do that without appropriate action from the President,” he explained.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III and Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros recently expressed interest in the Philippines rejoining the ICC, emphasizing the need for international accountability on issues of human rights.
Escudero also pointed out that the ICC only intervenes when a country’s justice system fails, a notion he firmly rejected. “They will only step in if our justice system fails to function. I am not willing to accept the notion that our justice system is not functioning,” he stated.
During his first appearance at the joint congressional probe at the House of Representatives, Duterte publicly challenged ICC investigators to immediately come to the Philippines and launch a formal probe against him.
“I am asking the ICC to hurry up. And, if possible, they can come here and start the investigation tomorrow. This issue has been left hanging for so many years… I might die. They can’t investigate me anymore),” Duterte said.
