1-Rider Party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez (left), former president Rodrigo Duterte (MANILA BULLETIN/ Malacañang photo)

1-Rider Party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez finds the people’s apparent majority support for the Philippines' proposed return to the fold of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a "vindication". 

In a press conference Tuesday, Feb. 20,, Gutierrez bared that he and Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. had filed a resolution urging the executive branch to extend its full cooperation with the ICC, which is investigating former president Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody anti-illegal drugs campaign that killed thousands of Filipinos. 

On Monday, it was reported that 59 percent of Filipinos--or nearly six out of 10--wanted the Philippines to rejoin the ICC, based on OCTA Research survey conducted from Dec. 10 to 14, 2024. 

“I'm not saying this is on behalf of the House, pero (but) we welcome that development (survey). It just vindicates po 'yung ating (our) resolution,” Gutierrez, a member of the minority bloc in the House of Representatives, said. 

Pointing to the survey results, the neophyte solon noted that a majority of the people support calls for the country to rejoin the ICC and launch an investigation on the alleged )mass extra-judicial killings during Duterte’s drug war. 

“We want to show them na (that) we respect and uphold the rule of law (and human rights), and seeing now, and dito sa OCTA Research (survey results), mukhang sang-ayon po sa atin yung taumbayan,” added Gutierrez, a lawyer. 

(Based on the OCTA Research survey results, it looks like the people agree with this proposal.) 

It was March 2018 when then-president 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.   

"As we mentioned, we're part of the community of nations. Hindi po tayo nag-iisa dito sa Pilipinas (The Philippines isn't alone),” Gutierrez said. 

Duterte served as Philippine president from 2016 to 2022.