PH won’t cooperate with ICC despite Duterte probe challenge — Marcos

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reiterated the government’s non-cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) despite former President Rodrigo Duterte’s challenge for the body to investigate him.

Speaking to reporters in Oriental Mindoro, Marcos said the government will remain uninvolved in any proceedings.

“If iyon yung gusto ni PRRD (President Rodrigo Duterte), then hindi naman kami haharang sa mga ICC; ‘di lang kami tutulong,” said Marcos.

[Translation: If that’s what PRRD wants, then we won’t stand in the way of the ICC; but we won’t assist.]

“Ngunit kung pumapayag siya. Makipagusap siya or magpaimbestiga siya sa ICC nasa kanya iyon. Wala na kami desisyon doon,” he added.

[Translation: But if he agrees, if he wants to talk to or be investigated by the ICC, that’s his choice. We have no decision on that.]

Marcos said the policy stands: “We do not cooperate with the ICC. That is the position of this government.”

The president noted, however, that while the government will not engage with the ICC, the Philippines is committed to its obligations with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).

“Pag red notice ng ng Interpol, we will be obliged to participate. As Secretary Remulla has explained before, we have obligations to the Interpol. And we have to live up to those obligations,” Marcos explained.

[Translation: If there’s a Red Notice from Interpol, we are obligated to participate. As Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla previously explained, we have responsibilities to Interpol, and we must honor those.]

According to Interpol, a Red Notice is a request to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or similar legal proceedings.

The Philippines, an Interpol member since June 12, 1952, has adhered to these commitments.

In 2005, the ICC and Interpol established a cooperation agreement, granting the ICC access to Interpol’s global police communications network, I-24/7, as well as resources like the Red Notice system, which informs member countries of individuals wanted under judicial arrest warrants.

Although not an international arrest warrant, many Interpol member countries view a Red Notice as a legitimate basis for provisional arrest, according to Interpol.

While the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute, which created the ICC, on March 17, 2019, or during the Duterte presidency, the court said it still has jurisdiction over crimes that occurred in the Philippines while it was a state party to the statute.