Senator Imee Marcos on Friday, March 21 said she would not be attending the campaign rally of the administration’s Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas' senatorial candidates in Trece Martires, Cavite today.
According to Marcos, she would rather focus on the case of former president Rodrigo Duterte who is now facing the pre-trial of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“Ang mahalaga sa akin ay tutukan ang kaso ng pagtangay sa isang kapwa Pilipino na isinuko ng ating pamahalaan sa isang banyagang institusyon sa ibang bansa (What is important to me is to focus on the case of the extradition of a fellow Filipino who was surrendered by our government to a foreign institution abroad),” Marcos said.
“Pagkat sa kabila ng kampanya at pulitika, napakahalaga nito para sa ating mga kababayan, ang ating OFWs at sa ating mga batas (Because despite the campaign and politics, this is very important for our countrymen, our overseas Filipino workers and our laws),” she added.
“Hindi lang ito tungkol kay dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte, tungkol ito sa soberanya ng ating bansa (This is not just about former President Rodrigo Duterte, it is about the sovereignty of our country),” the presidential sister said.
Sen. Marcos earlier conducted an inquiry into the ICC’s arrest of the former president where she also questioned top government officials over the propriety of surrendering a Filipino citizen and a former leader to the international body.
She warned of the possible repercussions of the government’s move to work with the ICC, especially in the international community and among OFWs.
But during the hearing, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla defended the Philippine government’s role in the surrender of Duterte to the ICC, saying the move was carried out through international law enforcement mechanisms and not through direct cooperation with the tribunal.
While the Philippines is no longer a member of the ICC, Remulla said the international tribunal still has jurisdiction over individuals, regardless of state membership.
“Jurisdiction of the ICC is throughout the world. We belong to a community of nations tied together by a legal system called International Humanitarian Law (IHL),” Remulla explained.