Malacañang will not prevent former senator Leila de Lima from volunteering to help in the trial of former president Rodrigo Duterte in the International Criminal Court (ICC) over crimes against humanity.
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said De Lima will not be prevented from assisting in the trial if the ICC allows her to do so.
"Siguro kung iyan po naman po ay kaniyang boluntaryong gagawin at kung siya naman po ay papayagan sa ICC sa pamuno po ng prosecutors sa ICC, hindi naman po tayo tututol diyan (Perhaps, if she will do it voluntarily and she will be allowed by the ICC prosecutors, we will not interfere)," Castro said in a Palace briefing on Wednesday, March 19.
De Lima was jailed during the term of Duterte from February 2017 to November 2023 in Camp Crame, Quezon City for alleged drug-related charges. She was fully acquitted of all charges in June last year.
The former senator led the first investigation on the Davao Death Squad when Duterte was mayor of Davao City.
De Lima was the very first to sound the alarm on EJKs being committed in the guise of Duterte's drug war, directing the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights to investigate the rampant extrajudicial killings and summary executions of suspected criminals in July 2016.
The then opposition senator also submitted a communication to the Office of the Special Prosecutor of ICC in October 2017.
No talks yet on rejoining ICC
Castro said there are no ongoing discussions yet on the Philippines being a member of the ICC again. She also reiterated that the stance of President Marcos that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the country remains.
"Wala pa po ngayon. Hindi pa po namin napag-uusapan kung kailangan pong mag-rejoin ang Pilipinas sa ICC. Same pa rin po, wala pa rin pong jurisdiction sa ngayon ang ICC sa Pilipinas (None for now. We have not yet discussed if the Philippines must rejoin the ICC. It's still the same, ICC has no jurisdiction in the Philippines)," she said.
Meanwhile, in an interview with ANC on Tuesday, March 18, Castro was asked whether the President would change his stance regarding the ICC. She replied: As of the moment, we will try to discuss that.
The Palace Press Officer believes that it is now time to discuss the Philippines being a member of the ICC again, pointing out that crimes against humanity, like the drug war, might happen in the future again.
"Because this kind of situation, it really happened, not just now, maybe it will happen in the future. And there are times that we really need some kind of justice from an international criminal court because it's so sad to say, but sometimes it really happens," she said.
"And that justice in the country is kind of questionable sometimes. But I have to believe in justice system because I'm a lawyer. I have to fight for that. But there are times that I have to tell you this," she added.