Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday, July 20 said she finds it “very immature” for the government to disengage communication with the International Criminal Court (ICC) following its decision to pursue its investigation into the drug killings during the Duterte administration.                                     Sen. Risa Hontiveros (Senate PRIB Photo) This was after Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said that the Philippine government will no longer engage with the ICC. “Disengaging even from communication is a very immature stance. It's not a stance of a mature administration which claims to be governing a democracy,” Hontiveros said in an interview on CNN Philippine’s The Source. “It's not a stance of a country that is seeking more and wider alliances in the world. Dahil napakaraming mga bansa ay either miyembro ng ICC or at least nagco-cooperate sa mga ganitong proseso para sa hustisya (Because there are so many countries who are either a member of the ICC or at least are cooperating in this kind of process for justice) on the global stage,” she said. Now, she said, the President has to choose: “Does he want a renewal of ties with other countries and the rest of the world?” she pointed out. “Does he want to undermine his pivot from Beijing to other and more capitals of the world by taking a hardline stance vis-à-vis the ICC?” Hontiveros lamented. Remulla had said that while the tribunal has no police powers, he advised those named in the ICC case not to go to countries where the ICC may have power to enforce an arrest warrant. Among those named in the case are former president Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa. But as the leader of the nation, Hontiveros said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. should not leave the issue on the brutal war on drugs campaign of the Duterte administration hanging. “The President is the chief executive of the country. Sila yung commander in chief din ng ating mga police and military institutions and this matter of accountability for a war on drugs that turned into a war on the poor, hindi pwedeng iwang nakabitin iyan (that should not be left hanging),” she pointed out. “The President…has to set the example for the people, for our government institutions, at kailangan ipakita niya iyan sa buong mundo at sa iba't ibang mga bansa (and he needs to show it to the whole world and to other nations),” she said. “Kaya napakaimportanteng test ito kay Presidente (this is a very important test for the President), how he will behave and how he will lead government in behaving on such an important process as an investigation of an international court,” she stressed.