Administration senators said the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no impact on the country’s economy and justice system.
Senator Cynthia Villar said the country’s departure from the ICC is nothing to worry about as Philippine courts primarily tasked to protect the rights of people still function.
“Even without ICC for as long as our Philippine courts are fair, that is alright. Even if we are an ICC member if our local courts are defective, it doesn’t work,” Villar told reporters in Tacloban City.
The Philippines has officially withdrawn from the ICC as of March 17. This took effect a year after the country submitted its withdrawal to the United Nations Secretary-General on March 17, 2018, after the ICC announced its plan to investigate the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
The move however will not affect the government’s effort to attract investments since the country is still part of the United Nations, World Trade Organization, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and other international institutions, the seasoned legislator stressed.
“The move will not affect the government’s effort to attract investments.”
“Investors regularly monitor our Gross Domestic Product growth and other economic indicators than our ICC membership to expand their business in the Philippines,” the veteran lawmaker added.
The ICC is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal based in The Hague in the Netherlands. The ICC has the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression.
Senator Koko Pimentel III said membership in the ICC is not a big deal considering that progressive countries such as the United States and China are not part of the treaty.
“Membership in the ICC is not a big deal.”
Other non-members nations are India, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Qatar and Israel.
“The President decided to withdraw and let us honor his decision. It’s not a big deal since we have our own functioning prosecutorial and judicial system,” Pimentel explained.
The legislator and other reelectionist senators and senatorial aspirants running under the Hugpong ng Pagbabago party of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte were in Tacloban for a campaign caravan at the city’s Astrodome.
