President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said that he would not cooperate with any proposed activity of the International Criminal Court (ICC) until it could clarify questions on its jurisdiction and its effects on the Philippines' sovereignty.

President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (RTVM Screenshot)

Marcos said this after the ICC authorized prosecutor Karim Khan to reopen the probe on possible rights abuses and crimes against humanity committed under the Duterte administration.

In an interview in Baguio City, the President said he does not consider the judgment of the ICC as legitimate and that he would not cooperate with their investigation.

"That is not something we consider to be a legitimate judgment," he said Saturday, Feb. 18.

"Until those questions of jurisdiction and the effects on the sovereignty of the Republic are sufficiently answered, I cannot cooperate with them," he added.

According to Marcos, a known Duterte ally, there were "many questions" about ICC's jurisdiction and what the Philippines regard as an "intrusion into our internal matters and they are a threat to our sovereignty."

"I cannot see what their jurisdiction is," he said.

President Marcos expressed confidence in the Philippines' police and the Judicial Branch and that no external player is needed to resolve its issues.

"I feel that we have in our police and our judiciary a good system. We do not need assistance from any outside entity," he said.

"The Philippines is a sovereign nation, and we are not colonies anymore of these former imperialists," he added.

In 2021, the ICC granted the government's deferral request and suspended its formal investigation of alleged crimes against humanity by the Duterte government.

Last month, former President Rodrigo Duterte shrugged off the ICC's decision to proceed with the preliminary investigation of his infamous war on illegal drugs.

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