The government’s top lawyer said Thursday the Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership’s assurance that it would not implement any warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against former president Rodrigo Duterte is a substantive reflection of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive that the government will not assist the international body in its undertaking.

In a statement, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra explained that “the PNP and other law enforcement officers are the only persons authorized to serve warrants of arrest in Philippine territory.”

“The PNP’s statement that it will not enforce any warrant that may be issued by the ICC is simply in obedience to the directive of the President who exercises control over the executive department, including the national police,” Guevarra said.

Marcos earlier announced that he does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC in the Philippines.

“I consider this as a threat to our sovereignty. Therefore, the Philippine government will not lift a finger to help any investigation that the ICC conducts,” he said in a media interview on the sidelines of an event in Quezon City on Jan. 23.

The President added that the government is keeping an eye on the ICC to make sure that it would “not come into contact with any agency of government.”

The Philippines formally cut ties with the ICC on March 17, 2019. (PNA)