Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman (left), former president Rodrigo Duterte (Facebook, Malacañang photo)

Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman said that a "change of heart" from the majority bloc has seemingly caused measures prodding the Philippine government to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to gain traction in the House of Representatives.

This, as Lagman attended on Wednesday, Nov. 22 a hearing of the House Committee on Justice where such resolutions were finally tackled.

"Kami naman e talagang matagal na naming hinihiling yun na magcooperate na (We've long been asking for the government to cooperate)," Lagman, a self-styled independent minority congressman, said in a chance interview following the hearing.

"Palagay ko may mga pagpapalit sa mga pananaw ng majority na talagang kailangan na sundin natin ang rule of law at yung world order, kailangan mag-cooperate fully ang ating bansa sa imbestigasyon ng prosecutors ng ICC," he said.

(I think there has been a change of heart in the majority toward the need to follow the rule of law and the world order, the need for the country to fully cooperate with the investigation of the ICC prosecutors.)

When asked what could cause the majority--which basically determines the goings on in the chamber--to have undergo such change, Lagman rather teasingly said: "Your guess is as good as mine… kayo na ang mag-articulate ng nasa isip niyo (it's up to you to articulate what's on your minds)."

It was March 2018 when then-president Rodrigo Duterte ordered the withdrawal of the Philippines from the Rome Statute, which created the ICC.

This, after ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced that she would start a preliminary examination against Duterte in connection with complaints on his bloody war against drugs.

Deliberated on during the Wednesday hearing were House Resolution (HR) Nos. 1393 and 1477, which both seek the Philippine government's cooperation with the ICC pertaining to its investigation.

Of the two, HR No.1393 specified that the investigation was in connection with the alleged crime against humanity commit during the previous Duterte administration.

Lagman said that he filed on Tuesday HR No.1482, which is similar to HR No.1393. "Hopefully it will be subject to first reading this afternoon and referred to same joint committees."

At any rate, the Albay solon said the committee isn't out to hear the merits of the complaint against the Duterte administration.

"Ang atin lang tinitignan ay kailangan ba i-express ang sentiment ng Mababang Kapulungan tungkol sa cooperation ng government sa ICC (What we're looking at is, should the Lower House express its sentiment for the government's cooperation with ICC).

"We are not trying to try or hear the merits of the complaint. All that we are urging is the cooperation of the government of the ICC," Lagman said.