DFA says it is ready to represent PH in ICC


​The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday it is ready to represent the Philippines in the international court following its resumption into the country's deadly war against drugs.

Ma. Teresita Daza, DFA spokesperson, said the agency is yet to receive the official decision from the Pre-Trial Chamber (PTC) of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

But DFA deferred the matter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) on the "appropriate action or ways forward with regard to any legal or procedural issues raised by the PTC," Daza said.

"If necessary, the Department stands ready to make appropriate representations through our Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands," she added.

For DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, the ICC will not be welcomed to the Philippines to conduct an investigation.

He made the remark as the country already withdrew from the ICC on March 17, 2019 after its notification was sent to the international tribunal in 2018 on instructions of former President Rodrigo Duterte.