De Lima asks SC to allow her to argue vs ICC withdrawal

MANILA — Detained Sen. Leila De Lima has asked the Supreme Court to allow her to personally argue and defend the petition she and her colleagues filed challenging the Philippines' withdrawal from the International Criminal Court.

The senator filed a manifestation with motion asking the SC to allow her to personally argue, as one of the petitioners, during the oral arguments set at 2 p.m. on August 7.

SC spokesperson Theodore Te said that the oral arguments has been moved from July 24 to a later date.

De Lima is one of the minority senators who sought the nullification of the executive branch's withdrawal of the country's membership to the ICC due to lack of necessary concurrence from the Senate.

In the 17-page petition filed last month, they cited Article VII Section 21 of the 1987 Constitution which states that “entering into treaty or international agreement requires participation of Congress, that is, through concurrence of at least two-thirds of all the members of the Senate.”

De Lima stressed that while there are prohibitions on the appearance of members of the Congress before any court of justice, lawmakers are only barred from attending when the member of the Congress is a counsel to the case. In the said case, De Lima is one of the petitioners.