ICC, what’s the matter?

Dear editor,

I can’t help but wonder what the International Criminal Court’s beef is with the Philippines as they are as eager as a beaver to conduct investigations on the so-called “war on drugs” launched during the time of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

For one, the country has long since disassociated itself from the ICC and it is somewhat dubious that they are still pushing for an investigation seemingly backed by the “hidden enemies” of the former president.

Second, the Philippines has a working judicial system capable of prosecuting those who were allegedly involved in the drug war and the supposed extrajudicial killings that came with it, which is I think the main focus of the investigations.

It is also worthy to note that former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has said in a recent statement that the ICC indeed had conducted investigations in December last year — right under the nose of the national government.

Trillanes even had the gall to say that an arrest warrant from the ICC against Duterte would be out soon, which can be categorized as a “threat,” in my opinion.

In that sense, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is correct in saying that the ICC is a threat to the country’s sovereignty as he reiterated his non-recognition of its jurisdiction over the Philippines.

Marcos also stressed that his administration will neither assist the ICC nor cooperate with it in “any way, shape or form” as it seeks to investigate the “war on drugs” waged by his predecessor.

Even Senator Ronald dela Rosa has expressed his indignation over the ICC’s attempt to conduct investigations as he asked the Marcos administration to categorically state whether it would hand him and Duterte over to the ICC.

The senator even wondered if transactions had been going on “behind the scenes” between the ICC and the government after it previously said it would look at proposals to rejoin the ICC.

Marcos has assured both Duterte and Dela Rosa that his administration’s affirmation of the government’s withdrawal in 2019 from the Rome Statute that created the ICC has not changed.

Joining Dela Rosa in blasting Trillanes was Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, who came short of calling the former senator’s ICC claim the “fruits of his wild imagination” and stressed that the government will not assist the ICC, much more when it comes to serving any processes — like an arrest warrant — within the Philippines.

Do we see a pattern here? Yes, we do, and we can draw a conclusion: we do not want the ICC here, period.

But while the President is keen on stopping the ICC from conducting investigations in the country, he is also gracious enough to allow ICC representatives to visit the Philippines on the condition that they would not be allowed to make contact with any government agency. Isn’t that enough?

I don’t think that all this brouhaha over the ICC’s intent will merit the public’s sympathy as whether we like it or not, there may be some forces at work to ensure the former president’s downfall “by hook or by crook.”