MANILA, Philippines—Rep. Paolo Duterte on Monday slammed the International Criminal Court (ICC) for “pretending” to dispense justice by holding confirmation of charges hearing in the case of his father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.
"If they are really after justice, they should first answer the question: Do they have jurisdiction?” he said in a statement. “Because last time we checked, the Philippines already left the Rome Statute. But apparently, at the ICC, sovereignty is optional, and it depends on who is the target.” "If you have jurisdiction, fighting criminality in one's own country apparently is already a crime against humanity?" Duterte said.
“They claim to speak for victims but they completely ignore the millions of Filipinos who finally felt safe when crime, drugs and lawlessness were confronted head-on. Those victims don’t count apparently. They’re not part of the narrative,” he added.
“Let’s call this what it is – not justice, not accountability, but selected prosecution dressed up as moral superiority,” the Davao lawmaker said.