President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday said the Philippine government would no longer get in touch with the International Criminal Court (ICC) after rejecting its plea to suspend its investigation into former president Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-narcotics campaign.

“Basta tapos na lahat ng ating pag-uusap sa ICC. Kagaya nang sinasabi namin mula sa simula (We will no longer negotiate with ICC. Just like what we are saying from the start), we will not cooperate with them in any way, shape, or form,” Marcos said on the sidelines of the inauguration of the three road projects in Alicia, Zamboanga Sibugay.

“So, I suppose that puts an end to our dealings with the ICC,” he added.

On Tuesday, the ICC rejected the Philippine government’s appeal to suspend its investigation into the war on illegal drugs waged by the Duterte administration.

Marcos said his administration would “continue to question” the ICC’s jurisdiction in conducting an investigation into the Philippines’ drug war.

He said the government would exhaust all efforts to defend the country’s sovereignty.

“They are talking about Filipinos. Their alleged crimes are here in the Philippines. The victims are Filipino. Bakit mapupunta sa The Hague? Kaya’t dito dapat (Why would the issue be raised in The Hague? It should be discussed here). That’s it. We have no appeals pending. We have no more actions being taken,” the President said.

In March, the ICC Appeals Chamber denied the Philippines’ plea to suspend its investigation into the Philippines’ anti-narcotics drive “in the absence of persuasive reasons in support of ordering suspensive effect.”

The decision made in March dismayed President Marcos, prompting him to say that the country is “disengaging” from any contact and communication with the ICC.

The Philippine government submitted two requests — a notice of appeal in February and an appeal brief in March — to suspend the probe after ICC authorized its prosecutor, Karim Khan, to investigate alleged crimes committed during the Duterte administration’s anti-narcotics campaign.

In March 2018, Duterte ordered the Philippines’ termination of the Rome Statute that created the ICC after former prosecutor Fatou Bensouda continued with the preliminary examination.

The Philippines formally cut ties with the ICC on March 17, 2019, exactly a year after the revocation of the Rome Statute.

In September 2021, the ICC launched a formal inquiry into the drug war but suspended its move two months after the Philippine government vowed to re-examine the cases of drug operations.

The ICC prosecutor in June 2022 requested to reopen the inquiry as it was “not satisfied” with what the Philippines was doing. (PNA) 

Photo credit: International Criminal Court Official Website