Statement of Malacañang on Marcos Jr. over Possibility of PH Rejoining ICC
Malacañang revealed the stand of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on rejoining the International Criminal Court (ICC) after the confirmation of charges of Duterte.
During his tenure, former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte withdrew the inclusion of the Philippines as a member of the Rome Statute after the ICC expressed desire to investigate his controversial war on drugs. Currently, the former President is detained under the custody of the foreign court in The Hague, Netherlands.
Pres. Bongbong Marcos was heavily blamed by the arrest and the transfer of the custody of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte to the ICC. Last month, Marcos Jr. was even faced with an impeachment complaint that cited the alleged surrender of Duterte as supposedly a ground for betrayal of public trust. Malacañang previously defended the President saying that the government only did its job.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, amid their rift, believes that the President allegedly committed an impeachable offense over the transfer of the custody of her father to the foreign court. Amid the legal proceedings, it has always been a question if Marcos Jr. is considering PH rejoining the ICC.
Recently, Malacañang reacted to the possibility of the Philippines rejoining the ICC. The statement of the Palace came after the confirmation of charges of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte in The Hague.
Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, Malacañang press officer undersecretary Claire Castro claimed that the stand of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on the Philippines rejoining the ICC remains. The Palace official stressed that the country is still not rejoining the Rome Statute.
“Hindi pa rin natitinag ang kaniyang posisyon. Hindi pa po tayo magre-rejoin sa ICC. Sa ngayon po, same position hindi pa rin tayo magre-rejoin,” Castro said.
However, based on the report, the Malacañang official did not specify if the position of Marcos Jr. for PH not to rejoin the ICC was before or after the confirmation of charges hearing of former Pres. Duterte. Previously, the lawyer of Duterte, Nicholas Kaufman, claimed that the President allegedly failed to keep his promise.
Lawyer Nicholas Kaufman alleged that President Bongbong Marcos signed a letter pledging that the Philippine government would refrain from cooperating with the ICC. According to reports, former President Rodrigo Duterte’s legal counsel claimed that Marcos broke this commitment when his predecessor came under scrutiny before the tribunal.
“Well, as we know, he failed to keep that promise,” Duterte’s lawyer said.
British-Israeli lawyer Nicholas Kaufman further alleged that President Marcos Jr. sought to “neutralize Rodrigo Duterte and his legacy.” He claimed that the former president was “unconstitutionally and unceremoniously” taken to The Hague.
Previously, former presidential spokesman Harry Roque claimed that Pres. Bongbong Marcos allegedly started facilitating the ICC detention of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte amid his tandem with Vice Pres. Sara Duterte.
