Philippines to disengage with ICC after losing ‘drug war’ appeal

MANILA – The Philippines will “disengage from any contact and communication” with the International Criminal Court (ICC) after the tribunal rejected the Philippine government’s appeal to suspend its drug war probe, Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. said today.

Marcos was reacting to the ICC Appeals Chamber’s March 27 decision to reject Manila’s request to suspend the investigation into the previous Rodrigo Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.

“We don’t have a next move. That is the extent of our involvement with the ICC. The (appeal) ends all our involvement with the ICC,” Xinhua quoted Marcos as telling reporters, adding that the Philippines cannot appeal anymore.

“We ended up with the position that we started with. We cannot cooperate with the ICC considering there are very serious questions about their jurisdiction,” he said.

Last month, Marcos called the ICC’s ongoing probe into the alleged drug-related killings under former President Duterte’s anti-drug campaign a “threat to (Philippines) sovereignty”. – Bernama, March 28, 2023