The election of the late Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago as one of the judges of the International Criminal Court was “void,” Malacañang said on Monday as it maintained that the Philippines was never part of the international tribunal.
In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo stressed that Santiago’s nomination and election was void from the start since the Philippines was never officially recognized as a member-state.
Panelo cited the government’s failure to publish the ratification of the Rome Statute, a treat which created the ICC.
The spokesperson said that the ICC, which is currently hearing human rights abuses of the Duterte administration, never assumed jurisdiction over the Philippines.
To recall, Santiago was elected as a judge at the international tribunal but chose to let go of the post after being diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The senator succumbed to cancer in 2016.
Another Filipino, former University of the Philippines law college dean Raul Pangalangan, currently sits as ICC judge.
