“It is all systems go for the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into the Philippines’ ‘war on drugs,’ and all victims should be able to participate in the proceedings,” the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) said on Wednesday, March 29. It said that “the ICC proceedings is on track and aligned with our search for genuine justice for the victims of grave rights violations.” The statement was issued by the NUPL after the ICC’s Appeals Chamber denied the Philippines’ plea for a suspension of the investigation despite the pendency of the appeals brief filed last March 13. With the denial of the suspension request, President Marcos declared: “We don’t have a next move.  That is the extent of our involvement with the ICC.  That ends all our involvement with the ICC.” Solicitor General Menardo I. Guevarra, whose office filed the request for suspension and the appeals brief, said the Philippines “is not legally and morally bound to cooperate with the ICC.” The Philippines’ appeals brief sought the reversal of the ruling by the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber 1 which granted the request of the court’s Office of the Prosecutor to resume the investigation into the past illegal drugs operations. The appeal cited the ICC’s lack of jurisdiction and that the Philippines has been conducting its own investigations. The NUPL said “the ICC Appeals Chamber has emphasized that the Philippines may continue its domestic investigations.” “It remains a concern for us however, that domestic investigations are not transparent, comprehensive, and conducive enough to earn the victims’ trust,” it pointed out. It noted that the Philippines’ request for suspension of the investigation “delayed the ICC investigation, which has already been approved by the Pre-trial Chamber first, in September 2021, and again, in January 2023.” It said that in between those months, “the Philippines tried to show that domestic investigations were rolling along and effecting justice for victims.” “With its arguments exposed to be farcical and repetitive, the Philippines has lost its bid to yet again delay and ultimately, rebuff an investigation into crimes against humanity committed from 2011-2019, in the context of President Duterte’s ‘war on drugs,’” it also said. “It also lost the argument that victims should not be allowed to comment on the matter, after it opposed the request of victims and the Office of the Public Counsel for Victims to participate,” it added.