Former President Rodrigo Duterte maintains that the International Criminal Court has no jurisdiction in the Philippines.
The former chief executive made the response when he visited the wake of former President Fidel V. Ramos.
“I am a Filipino. If I will be prosecuted it will be a prosecutor who is a Filipino,” Duterte said.
“If I will be judged, it will be a Filipino judge. And if I should go to prison, I should go to Muntinlupa. Nobody but nobody else can sa akin. It has to be our or within our jurisdiction,” he added.
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Duterte says he is not worried to go into in prison if local courts would find him guilty over his controversial war on drugs.
“Wala, matanda na ako. I’ve no qualms about going to prison. I’m 77, 80. Ano makuha nila sa akin? I can read to death there inside. So many books to read,” he added.
“During the six years that I was, well, attending to the affairs of the nation. Marami akong hindi nagawa, kaya gagawin ko na. Wala akong problema d’yan sa ICC, ICC personally,” Duterte continued.
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Duterte also reiterated that the Rome Statute was never published in the Official Gazette.
The former president declined to comment on President Bongbong Marcos’ decision not to rejoin the ICC.
“I would rather not comment on it actually. I am a civilian, I cannot say anything about it. Tahimik lang muna ako,” he said.
