Senator Jinggoy Estrada has filed a resolution opposing the International Criminal Court’s investigation on the war on drugs of the Duterte administration.
The ICC is looking into the alleged crimes against humanity committed by then President Rodrigo Duterte.
Based on Estrada’s resolution, the lawmaker called the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber’s decision authorizing the resumption of the probe “disrespectful” as it undermines the Philippines’ judicial system.
Estrada also noted that the government had asked the ICC to defer its investigation last November 2021.
“The letter of request stated that the Philippine Government has the first responsibility and right to prosecute crimes,” Estrada said.
“Further, it stated that the ICC may only exercise jurisdiction where the national legal systems fail to do so which was not the case for the Philippines as domestic institutions are fully functional and more than capable to address the concerns raised in the prosecutor’s notification,” the senator added.
The House of Representatives also filed a resolution defending Duterte from any probe by the ICC.
