Barry to represent senators in ICC withdrawal debates

MANILA — After the Supreme Court has denied their pleas to have their colleague to represent them, the minority senators challenging the Philippines’ withdrawal of membership from the International Criminal Tribunal has chosen their representative for the oral arguments.

Former Akbayan Rep. Ibarra “Barry” Gutierrez III has entered his appearance as counsel for petitioner-senators for the ICC withdrawal debates, according to the advisory sent by the office of Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan.

Gutierrez has also confirmed this in his Twitter account.

Pangilinan is joined by Sens. Leila de Lima, Franklin Drilon, Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, Risa Hontiveros and Antonio Trillanes IV in the petition.

De Lima initially asked for a furlough to be allowed to argue on her fellow petitioners’ case. The senators backed her plea.

The SC, however, denied de Lima’s motions. The high court said that de Lima’s capacity as participant in the case should “yield to the fundamental restrictions on her liberty borne by her current detention.”

The SC started the oral arguments on August 28, but the senators failed to appear to argue their case.

They asked more time from the court on how to proceed with the presentation of their arguments — that they earlier claimed would be best presented by de Lima — after learning that their latest plea was also denied.

De Lima said that the denial of her pleas was “purely political” on the part of the SC.

“The denial is purely political,” she said, adding that the SC “simply do not want me to, again, speak the truth about Duterte’s attempts to evade accountability for his blood soaked-regime.”

The oral arguments on the ICC withdrawal will continue at the SC on September 4, 2:00 p.m.