The International Criminal Court (ICC) should seek permission from the government before sending investigators to the Philippines, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
“Prior consent and approval of relevant Departments, including the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the DOJ must be obtained before any foreign entities can conduct official activities within our territory,” said the DOJ in a statement.
The department pointed out “any presence of international bodies, such as the ICC, within our jurisdiction must be in accordance with our Constitution and relevant laws.”
The DOJ issued the statement amid claims, including those from former Sen. Antonio F. Trillanes IV, that ICC investigators have already entered the Philippines to investigate the killings that took place during the drug war of the administration of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
“As of today, the DOJ has not received any official communication or confirmation regarding the presence of the ICC within the country,” the department maintained.
“Specifically, the DOJ has not received any advisory from the DFA that the ICC has indeed entered the Philippines, a requirement that would trigger the interdepartmental coordination concerning developments that go to the very core of our sovereignty and the primacy of our Constitution and our laws,” it added.
Meanwhile, the DOJ maintained that its stance over the ICC has been consistent.
“Having withdrawn from the ICC, the Philippines has no legal duty to comply with any obligations or proceedings thereunder,” it stated.
“As a sovereign nation with a robust and functional justice system capable of addressing internal issues without external interference, the Philippine government has shown that it is ready, willing, and able to investigate and prosecute any crime committed within its territory,” the department added.
For its part, the DOJ said it is committed “to upholding the principles of justice and the rule of law” since it has been its mandate to protect “the rights of our people regardless of color, race, beliefs, or creed.”
“Gumagana ang sistema natin. Our system works. Hindi namin papabayaan ang mga biktima. Ipagtatanggol natin ang karapatan ng bawat Pilipino (We do not take for granted the victims. We protect the rights of every Filipino),” said DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla.
The DOJ also noted that the Supreme Court (SC), back in 2021, issued a ruling on the petitions seeking to invalidate the 2018 order of then President Duterte to have the Philippines withdraw as party of the Rome Statute that created the ICC. The withdrawal took effect on March 17, 2019.
Though the SC dismissed the petitions, a number of groups pointed out that the tribunal indicated in its ruling that the ICC retains jurisdiction over acts that were committed before the withdrawal took effect.
“We note that the ruling was a mere obiter dictum or the court’s incidental expression of opinion not essential to the decision and not establishing precedent,” said the DOJ on the SC ruling.