The Senate plenary hall (Senate PRIB)

Senators brushed off the rejection by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of a Philippine government appeal against its investigation into alleged human rights violations by the previous Duterte administration in connection with its anti-illegal drug campaign.

‘’No one can tell us how to run our country and undermine our judicial system, especially a treaty-based international organization in which the Philippines is no longer a state party,’’ Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada said Thursday, April 13.

As an independent nation, sovereignty resides in the Filipino people, Estrada stressed.

"I stand by our government’s position that we have the first responsibility and right to prosecute crimes committed within our territory,’’ he said.

As I have stated in filing Senate Resolution No. 492, the ICC’s insistence on investigating the war on drugs of the Duterte administration is disrespectful of our sovereignty and undermines our fully capable judicial system,’’ he pointed out.

‘’It may only exercise jurisdiction where the national legal systems fail to do so which was not and continue to be not the case insofar as our domestic institutions are concerned,’’ he added.

Senator Ronald ‘’Bato’’ dela Rosa said it is ICC that is violating Article 1 of the Rome Statute on complementarity.

Dela Rosa emphasized that the justice system is very much alive in the Philippines.

‘’Sinabi sa Article 1 (Article 1 says) if the government is not capable or not willing to conduct investigation then papasok ang (then the ICC shall come in) In that case they are the one violating. Sila mismo nagviolate ng Article 1 (ICC itsel violated Article 1),’’ he pointed out.

Asked if he would cooperate with the ICC, Dela Rosa said he could not cooperate since the Philippine government itself refuses to cooperate.

‘'What does it make of me (if I cooperate), na ako ay isang suwail na anak (that I am an unruly child)? Parang hindi tugma (It does not compute),’’ he added.

The ICC wants to investigate former president Rodrigo Duterte and other ranking government officials linked to the controversial drug war.

Dela Rosa was the Philippine National Police (PNP) during a good portion of the Duterte administration.

He had earlier asked fellow senator, Francis ‘’Tol’’ Tolentino, to be his lawyer should he be arrested while abroad on orders of the ICC.

Asked if Tolentino would be his lawyer should he be arrested in the Philippines, Dela Rosa replied: ‘’So far we are not expecting that scenario to happen because wala namang kasong nakafile sa akin (there is no case.filed against me). Worst comes to worst andyan pa rin siya to defend me (Tolentino will defend me),’’ he added.

Dela Rosa said he does not know whether Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri would give exemption to Tolentino to represent him should there be a trial by the ICC.